SUMMARY:
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First general audience of 2015: the central role of mothers in the
Church and in the Christian community
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To circus performers, creators of beauty: humanity needs beauty
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Epiphany: “the Magi did not reject the smallness of the child
Jesus”
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Angelus: the path of the Magi is a journey of the soul towards Christ
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The Holy See intensifies its fight against the Ebola virus
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Other Pontifical Acts
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First
general audience of 2015: the central role of mothers in the Church
and in the Christian community
Vatican
City, 7 January 2014 (VIS) – “The first day of the year is the
feast day of the Mother of God, followed by the Epiphany, which
recalls the visit of the Magi. The evangelist Matthew writes, 'And
when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with
Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him'. It was the
Mother who, after having generated Him, who presents the Son to the
world. She gives us Jesus, she shows Jesus to us”. With these words
Pope Francis began the first catechesis of the Wednesday morning
general audiences of 2015, which he dedicated to the figure of the
mother, both in the family and in the Christian community.
“Every
human being owes his or her life to a mother, and almost always owes
much of his or her subsequent existence, human and spiritual
formation, to her”, affirmed the Pope. “However, although the
mother is highly exalted from a symbolic point of view, she is
listened to and helped very little in daily life, and her central
role in society is not given much consideration. On the contrary,
often the willingness of mothers to sacrifice themselves for their
children is exploited in order to save on social expenditure”.
Even
in the Christian community, the mother is not always given due
consideration. “Yet at the centre of the life of the Church there
is the Mother of Jesus. … It is necessary to better understand
their daily struggle to be efficient at work and attentive and
affectionate at home; we must better understand what they aspire to
in order to express the best and most authentic results of their
emancipation”.
Mothers
are “the strongest antidote to individualism. … They are those
who most hate war, which kills their children. They bear witness to
the beauty of life. Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero said that mothers
live a 'maternal martyrdom'. In his homily at the funeral of a priest
killed by death squads, he said, echoing Vatican Council II, 'We must
all be willing to die for our faith, even if the Lord does not grant
us this honour... Giving life does not only mean being killed; giving
life, having the spirit of martyrdom, is giving in duty, in silence,
in prayer, in the honest fulfilment of one's duty; in that silence of
everyday life, giving life a little at a time. Yes, as it is given by
a mother, who without fear, with the simplicity of maternal
martyrdom, conceives a child in her womb, gives him life, nurses him,
nurtures him and cares for him with affection. It is giving life. It
is martyrdom'. Yes, being a mother does not mean merely bringing a
child into the world, but it is also a choice of life, the decision
to give life”.
“A
society without mothers would be an inhuman society, as mothers
always know how to show tenderness, devotion and moral strength, even
in the moments of greatest difficulty. Mothers often also transmit
the deepest sense of religious practice. … It is a message that
mothers who believe know how to transmit without much explanation;
this arrives later, but the seed of faith is planted in those first
precious moments. Without mothers … faith would lose a good part of
its simple, profound warmth”.
“And
the Church is a mother”, exclaimed the Pope. “We are not orphans;
we are children, we have a mother – the Virgin, the mother Church
and our mother. We are not orphans, we are children of the Church, we
are the children of Mary and of our mother. Thank you, dear mothers,
for what you are in the family and for what you give to the Church
and to the world. And to you, our beloved Church, thank you for being
a mother. And to you, Mary, mother of God, thank you for presenting
us to Jesus”.
Following
the catechesis, the Holy Father greeted, among others, a delegation
of French imams engaged in dialogue between Islam and Christianity,
and a group of Polish survivors of the Auschwitz concentration camp,
freed seventy years ago.
To
circus performers, creators of beauty: humanity needs beauty
Vatican
City, 7 January 2014 (VIS) – “The people who perform in the
circus create beauty – they are creators of beauty. And this is
good for the soul. How we are in need of beauty!” exclaimed Pope
Francis, in his greetings to the performers of the Liana Orfei Golden
Circus, who performed before the Pontiff at the end of today's
general audience. “Our life is very practical – we do things, we
carry out our work, we do what we have to do – 'doing' is the
language of the hands. But our life is also about thinking and
reason. And this is important, as we are animals who think – we do
not think like animals! Thought, the language of the mind, is
important. We are also people who love, who have this capacity to
love: the language of the heart. … And all these three languages
unite to create the unity of the person. And there beauty lies: and
those of you who performed today are creators of harmony, creators of
beauty, who show us the high road of beauty”.
He
continued, “God is certainly true, God is certainly good, God
certainly knows how to do things, He created the world – but above
all, God is beautiful! The beauty of God. Very often we forget about
beauty. Let us not forget this, and let us thank these people who are
good at doing things, good at maintaining balance, at performing, but
most of all, good at creating beauty”.
Epiphany:
“the Magi did not reject the smallness of the child Jesus”
Vatican
City, 6 January 2014 (VIS) – This morning the Holy Father
celebrated Holy Mass in the Vatican Basilica on the Solemnity of the
Epiphany. The ceremony was accompanied by the Pontifical Sistine
Chapel Choir and, as is customary, was attended by the diplomatic
corps accredited to the Holy See.
In
his homily, Pope Francis commented that the child, born in Bethlehem,
“came not only for the people of Israel, represented by the
shepherds of Bethlehem, but also for all humanity, represented today
by the wise men from the East”. He added, “it is on the Magi and
their journey in search of the Messiah that the Church today invites
us to meditate and pray”.
The
wise men from the East were “the first in that great procession of
which the prophet Isaiah spoke in today’s first reading: a
procession which from that time on has continued uninterrupted; in
every age it hears the message of the star and finds the Child Hho
reveals the tenderness of God. New persons are always being
enlightened by that star; they find the way and come into His
presence”.
According
to tradition, the Pontiff explained, “the wise men were sages,
watchers of the constellations, observers of the heavens, in a
cultural and religious context which saw the stars as having
significance and power over human affairs. The wise men represent men
and woman who seek God in the world’s religions and philosophies:
an unending quest. Men and women who seek God”.
They
indicate to us “the path of our journey through life. They sought
the true Light. As a liturgical hymn of Epiphany which speaks of
their experience expresses: 'Lumen requirunt lumine'; by following a
light, they sought the light, 'Lumen requirunt lumine'. They set out
in search of God. Having seen the sign of the star, they grasped its
message and set off on a long journey.The Holy Spirit called them and
prompted them to set out; during their journey they were also to have
a personal encounter with the true God”.
Along
the way, the wise men encountered many difficulties. “Once they
reached Jerusalem, they went to the king's palace, for they thought
it obvious that the new king would be born in the royal palace. There
they lost sight of the star. How often sight of the star is lost!
And, having lost sight of the star, they met with a temptation,
placed there by the devil: it was the deception of Herod. King Herod
was interested in the child, not to worship Him but to eliminate Him.
Herod is the powerful man who sees others only as rivals. Deep down,
he also considers God a rival, indeed the most dangerous rival of
all. In the palace the wise men experience a moment of obscurity, of
desolation, which they manage to overcome thanks to the prompting of
the Holy Spirit, who speaks through the prophecies of sacred
Scripture. These indicate that the Messiah is to be born in
Bethlehem, the city of David”.
At
that point “they resume their journey, and once more they see the
star; the evangelist says that they 'rejoiced exceedingly'. Coming to
Bethlehem, they found 'the child with Mary His mother'. After that of
Jerusalem, this was their second great temptation: to reject this
smallness. But instead, 'they fell down and worshipped Him', offering
him their precious symbolic gifts. Again, it is the grace of the Holy
Spirit which assists them. That grace, which through the star had
called them and led them along the way, now lets them enter into the
mystery. The star which led them on the journey allows them to enter
into the mystery. Led by the Spirit, they come to realise that God’s
criteria are quite different from those of men, that God does not
manifest himself in the power of this world, but speaks to us in the
humbleness of His love. God’s love is great. God’s love is
powerful. But the love of God is humble, very humble. The wise men
are thus models of conversion to the true faith, since they believed
more in the goodness of God than in the apparent splendour of power”.
“And
so we can ask ourselves”, continued the Holy Father, “what is the
mystery in which God is hidden? Where can I find Him? All around us
we see wars, the exploitation of children, torture, trafficking in
arms, human trafficking … In all these realities, in these, the
least of our brothers and sisters who are enduring these difficult
situations, there is Jesus. The crib points us to a different path
from the one cherished by the thinking of this world: it is the path
of God’s self-abasement, that humility of God’s love by which He
abases himself, He completely lowers himself, His glory concealed in
the manger of Bethlehem, on the cross upon Calvary, in each of our
suffering brothers and sisters”.
“The
wise men entered into the mystery”, he concluded. “They passed
from human calculations to the mystery: this was their conversion.
And our own? Let us ask the Lord to let us undergo that same journey
of conversion experienced by the wise men. Let us ask Him to protect
us and to set us free from the temptations which hide the star. To
let us always be aware of the uncomfortable question: 'Where is the
star?', whenever – amid the deceptions of this world – we lose
sight of it. To let us know ever anew God’s mystery, and not to be
scandalised by the 'sign', that sign spoken of by the angels, which
points to 'a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger',
and to have the humility to ask the Mother, our Mother, to show Him
to us. To find the courage to be liberated from our illusions, our
presumptions, our 'lights', and to seek this courage in the humility
of faith and in this way to encounter the Light, Lumen, like the holy
wise men. May we enter into the mystery. May it be so”.
Angelus:
the path of the Magi is a journey of the soul towards Christ
Vatican
City, 6 January 2014 (VIS) – At the end of the Eucharistic
celebration in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis appeared at the
window of his study to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
The
Holy Father, returning to the theme of the journey of the wise men,
remarked that “with their act of adoration, the Magi testify that
Jesus came to earth to save not just one people, but all peoples”
and, therefore on the Epiphany “our gaze extends to the horizon of
the whole world to celebrate the manifestation of the Lord to all
people, that is, the manifestation of God’s love and universal
salvation”.
“As
the Creator and Father of all, he wishes to be the Saviour of all”,
he continued. “This is why we are always required to nurture great
trust and hope in every person and in his salvation: even those who
appear to be far from the Lord are followed – or rather “pursued”
– by His impassioned -and faithful love”.
The
Gospel account of the Magi describes their journey from the East as
“a journey of the soul, a journey towards the encounter with
Christ. They are attentive to the signs that point to His presence;
they are tireless in facing the difficulties of their search; they
are courageous in coping with the consequences of their encounter
with the Lord. ... The experience of the Magi evokes every man’s
journey to Christ. … The star that is able to guide every person to
Jesus is the Word of God, which is the light that directs our
journey, nourishes our faith and regenerates it”. Therefore, Pope
Francis emphasised, “We must not forget to read it and to meditate
on it every day, so that it may be a flame we carry within us to
illuminate our steps and the steps of those who walk beside us, who
perhaps struggle to find their way to Christ”.
The
Holy Father went on to mention “our brothers and sisters in the
Christian East, Catholics and Orthodox, many of whom celebrate the
Nativity of Our Lord tomorrow”, and sent them a warm greeting.
Finally,
he remarked that today we celebrate the World Day of Missionary
Childhood, “dedicated to children who joyfully live the gift of
faith and pray that the light of Jesus might reach all the children
of the world. I encourage teachers to nurture the missionary spirit
in the young so that witnesses of God's tenderness and heralds of His
love might be born among them”.
The
Holy See intensifies its fight against the Ebola virus
Vatican
City, 7 January 2014 (VIS) – The Pontifical Council “Justice and
Peace” today publishes its document “Expanding the Catholic
Church's commitment to the Ebola emergency response”, in which it
describes for the first time its pastoral response to a relatively
new disease which has devastated communities above all in the
countries of Western Africa, especially Guinea, Sierra Leone and
Liberia.
According
to the document, “The Holy See wishes to express its appreciation
to the local Catholic Church in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone for
its timely response to the Ebola crisis. In order to strengthen these
efforts, and as a practical response to the emergency, the Holy See
is making a financial contribution. The funds will support
Church-sponsored structures with a view to increasing the assistance
they offer via healthcare institutions, community initiatives and
pastoral care of patients and healthcare professionals. The Holy See
encourages other donors, whether private or public, to add to these
funds as a sign of solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are
suffering gravely in the areas affected by the disease.
“The
monies contributed by the Holy See will be used to purchase
much-needed protective supplies, to assist with the transport of
patients, and to pay for the renovation of buildings, among other
things. A portion of the Holy See’s contribution will be directed
towards residents in targeted communities so as to develop and
enhance strategies needed to stop the spread of Ebola. Funds are also
earmarked for the support of afflicted families and orphaned
children. As part of a pastoral response, the Holy See will
contribute to the care of people in affected areas by training and
supporting clergy, men and women religious as well as lay pastoral
workers, ensuring that they are better equipped to attend to the
physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the sick and the
suffering. The Holy See will focus on parishes,because so much of the
Church’s work takes place at the level of the parish, and it is an
important grass-roots institution in fighting the Ebola-related
stigma now emerging as a serious problem, particularly for
survivors”.
Other
Pontifical Acts
Vatican
City, 7 January 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed:
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Bishop Jose Antonio Peruzzo of Palmas – Francisco Beltrao, Brazil,
as archbishop of Curitiba (area 5,751, population 2,444,000,
Catholics 1,821,000, priests 405, permanent deacons 64, religious
1,549), Brazil.
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appointed Fr. Leomar Antonio Brustolin as auxiliary of the
archdiocese of Porto Alegre (area 13,530, population 3,395,000,
Catholics 2,527,000, priests 362, permanent deacons 58, religious
1,487), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Caxias do Sul, Brazil in
1967 and was ordained a priest in 1992. He studied philosophy at the
University of Caxias do Sul and theology at the Pontifical University
of Rio Grande do Sul, and holds a licentiate in systematic theology
from the Jesuit faculty (FAJE) at Belo Horizonte and a doctorate in
theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas
(Angelicum), Rome. He has served in a number of pastoral and academic
roles, including parish vicar of the Cathedral of Caxias do Sul,
professor of theology at the Pontifical University of Rio Grande do
Sul at Porto Alegre, coordinator of the licentiate course in theology
at the same university, director of the course in theology for
laypersons and director of the Centre for Theology of Caxias do Sul.
He is currently parish priest of the St. Teresa of Avila Cathedral in
Caxias do Sul.
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