Pope Francis

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-jesus-is-always-with-people-but-never-seeking

Pope: ‘Jesus is always with people but never seeking popularity’
2017-01-31 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) If we keep our eyes constantly fixed on Jesus, we will discover with surprise that it is he who looks lovingly upon each of us. That was Pope Francis’ message on Tuesday at his morning Mass in the Casa Santa Marta.

Jesus does not seek popularity, but is always among people

The author of Hebrews exhorts us to run in the faith "with perseverance, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus." In the Gospel, Jesus looks at us and sees us. Pope Francis explained that he is close to us, he "is always in the crowd":
“He didn’t walk around with guards to protect him, so that the people could not touch him. No, no! He stayed there and people surrounded him. And there were more people around every time Jesus went out. Statisticians might have been inclined to publish: ‘Rabbi Jesus’ popularity is falling’. But he sought something else: he sought people. And the people sought him. The people had their gaze fixed on him and he had his fixed on them. ‘Yes, yes, on the people, on the multitude’ – ‘No, on each individual!’. This is the peculiarity of Jesus’ gaze: He does not standardize people; He looks at each person.”
 

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https://zenit.org/articles/popes-liturgy-calendar-announced-for-february-march/

Pope’s Liturgy Calendar Announced for February – March 
January 25, 2017

 
FEBRUARY:

Thursday 2: Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 21st World Day of Consecrated Life. At 5.30 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Holy Mass with the members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life.

MARCH:

Wednesday 1: Ash Wednesday. At 4.30 p.m. in the Church of St. Anselm, Statio and penitential procession. At 5 p.m. in the Basilica of St. Sabina, blessing and imposition of the Ashes.

Sunday 5: First Sunday of Lent. In Ariccia, beginning of the spiritual exercises for the Roman Curia.

Friday 10: Conclusion of the Spiritual Exercises for the Roman Curia.

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http://www.news.va/en/news/audience-christian-hope-is-learning-to-live-in-exp

Audience: Christian hope is learning to live in expectation
2017-02-01 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday invited Christians to “wear the hope of salvation like a helmet (1 Thess 5:8 ), in the knowledge that, because Christ is risen, the object of our hope is certain.”

The Holy Father was quoting from Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians during his weekly General Audience in the Paul VI Hall where he continued his catechesis on Christian hope.

The Pope recalling the freshness and beauty of this first Christian proclamation described the community of Thessalonica at the time as one “ rooted in faith which celebrated with enthusiasm and joy the resurrection of the Lord Jesus”, despite its difficulties and the many trials.

Pope Francis noted how this letter of St Paul is more timely than ever because, “before the mystery of death, and the loss of our loved ones, we Christians are challenged to hope more firmly in the Lord’s promise of eternal life.”

Christian hope, the Pope continued,  "is the expectation of something that has already been accomplished, and that will certainly be realized for each of us." Giving an example, he spoke of the woman who when realizing she is pregnant, waits every day for the arrival of her baby.

In that same hope, and in the communion of the Church, he added, “we pray too that those who have gone before us will live forever in Christ.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-christian-hope-is-also-the-expectation-of-the-resurrection-pope-francis-says/
GENERAL AUDIENCE: Christian Hope is also the “Expectation of the Resurrection,” Pope Francis Says 
Meditation on the theme: The helmet of hope of salvation (Translation)
February 1, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fngydW34c5s
2017.02.01 General Audience

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Pope's video and full text at the link

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02/02/popes_february_prayer_intention_welcome_the_needy/1289898

Pope's February Prayer Intention: Welcome the Needy
02/02/2017 12:56

Christian refugees from Iraq in a camp in Amman, Jordan

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’ prayer intention for February is to Comfort for the Afflicted: That all those who are afflicted, especially the poor, refugees, and marginalized, may find welcome and comfort in our communities.

The Apostleship of Prayer has produced the Pope’s Video on this prayer intention.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02/02/order_of_malta_outlines_future/1290019

Order of Malta outlines future after resignation of Grand Master
02/02/2017 16:54

The Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Albrecht Boeselager (R), and the Grand Hospitalier of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Dominique de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel (L) give a press conference on February 2, 2017 in Rome. -

(Vatican Radio) The Sovereign Order of Malta held a press conference in Rome on Thursday, to outline what has happened since the resignation of Grand Master Fra’ Matthew Festing on Saturday 28 January. The Order released the following statement:

In a press conference today, the government of the Sovereign Order of Malta has outlined its priorities, following the resignation of Grand Master Fra’ Matthew Festing on Saturday 28 January. The Grand Chancellor Albrecht Boeselager stated: “Together with the Lieutenant ad interim we are governing the Order according to our constitution and in a united and efficient way”.

The government emphasized the Order’s loyalty to the Holy Father. It confirmed the Order’s willingness to collaborate with the Special Delegate. On behalf of the government, Boeselager thanked Pope Francis for his guidance that helped end government crises. He observed that in all his decisions the Pontiff showed respect and regard for the Order of Malta, while at the same time acknowledging in all his actions, the sovereignty of the Order.
 
The election of the Grand Master’s successor will take place within the next three months, as provided for in the Constitution of the Order of Malta. The Lieutenant ad interim, Fra’ Ludwig Hoffmann von Rumerstein, will convene the Council Complete of State, the electing body, which is made up of an international representation of members of the Order. They will meet in the Order’s Magistral Villa in Rome.

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02/02/pope_celebrates_mass_for_feast_of_presentation_of_the_lord/1290009

Pope celebrates Mass for feast of the Presentation of the Lord
02/02/2017 18:30

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday celebrated Mass for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and of Societies of Apostolic Life participated in the Liturgy.

The Mass also commemorates the World Day for Consecrated Life. On this day, the Church celebrates and prays for those who have consecrated their lives to God by the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. The World Day for Consecrated Life was established in 1997 by Pope Saint John Paul II; 2017 marks the twenty-first annual observance of the Day.

The liturgical feast chosen for the commemoration celebrates the presentation of the newborn Jesus in the Temple by Joseph and Mary forty days after His birth, in accordance with the law of the Old Testament. The feast is also known as “Candlemas” on account of the blessing of candles and the procession that takes place at the beginning of the Mass.

The candles blessed during the Liturgy thus symbolize both Christ, who is the Light of the World; and the lives of consecrated women and men who are called to reflect the light of Christ for all peoples.
 
http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02/02/homily_for_feast_of_the_presentation_of_the_lord_full_text/1290007
Homily for feast of the Presentation of the Lord: full text
02/02/2017 18:00


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuBRgBsjlxI
2017.02.02 Mass with Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-sends-greetings-to-nobel-peace-laureates-summ

Pope sends greetings to Nobel peace laureates’ summit
2017-02-03 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis sent his greetings on Friday to the participants in the XVI World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, taking place from 2 to 5 February in Bogotá, Colombia.

Pope Francis encouraged participants “in their efforts to promote understanding and dialogue among peoples”.

He made special mention of the peace efforts in Colombia between the government and rebel forces, saying they “can inspire all communities to rise above animosity and division, for ‘when victims of violence are able to resist the temptation to retaliate, they become the most credible promoters of nonviolent peacemaking.’”

The Holy Father concluded his message invoking ‘blessings of wisdom and strength’ on all participants.

“With prayers that nonviolence will thus become the “hallmark of our decisions, our relationships and our actions, and indeed of political life in all its forms” (Message for the 2017 World Day of Peace), His Holiness cordially invokes upon all gathered for the Summit meeting the divine blessings of wisdom and strength.”

The message was written by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and sent through the Apostolic Nuncio to Colombia, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero.

Please find below the full text of the message:
 

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The Vatican and the Order of Malta...

https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/02/02/knights-malta-say-theyll-refocus-helping-migrants-refugees/
Knights of Malta say they’ll refocus on helping migrants, refugees
Inés San Martín  February 2, 2017

ROME- After weeks of turmoil that saw Pope Francis, the Vatican and the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Malta locked in a power struggle, a top official of the order now says they won’t let the crisis deter them from their humanitarian work, particularly with immigrants and refugees.

The Order of Malta “is not fighting the pope,” said Albrecht Boeselager, the Grand Chancellor of the Knights of Malta, who was fired last December but reinstated on Saturday after the resignation of Grand Master Matthew Festing.

Boeselager contested impressions that Francis essentially sacked Festing.

“It’s not right to say that the Grand Master was ousted,” Boeselager said. “He was asked, I supposed, nobody of us was present, but in a pastoral way [by Pope Francis] to consider resignation. And Grand Master graciously offered his resignation to the sovereign council.”

Boeselager said there was never any actual consideration of the order removing Festing, because the Knights were caught off guard and had not expected the crisis to escalate.
 
Regarding the future role of American Cardinal Raymond Burke, currently the patron of the order, but who throughout the crisis sided with Festing, the Grand Chancellor said he couldn’t comment because he didn’t know.

At the moment, Burke’s role is that of spiritual leader and liaison between the order and the Vatican. Yet according to a letter sent by the pope to the Order’s general council, Francis will soon be appointing a papal delegate who will be the point of reference between the Knights and the Vatican.

The chancellor was also asked about the differences between Burke and previous patrons. He said that there were some disagreements, which is understandable due to the fact that they are different people. Urged to respond about how the American fulfilled his role, Boeselager said: “I think you know Cardinal Burke - his special attention was adhering to Church teaching.”

Though he refused to name Burke, Boeselager also said that throughout the crisis, which began when he was asked to resign, Festing had been, in his opinion, “ill-advised by whomever.”
 

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The Vatican and the Order of Malta...

http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/6690/0/former-grand-master-says-knights-drama-not-finished-

Former Grand Master says knights’ drama 'not finished'
03 February 2017 | by Christopher Lamb in Rome

The Knights of Malta’s former leader has come out fighting saying the saga involving him, the Vatican and his leadership of the order is “by no means finished”

Matthew Festing resigned as Grand Master last week after a meeting with Pope Francis, a move that signalled his capitulation in a very public battle between the knights and the Holy See.

But speaking to The Tablet, Festing has stressed the complex dispute is far from over, raising the possibility of him trying to make a comeback as Grand Master or even a legal challenge to the validity of his resignation.

"This is an extremely complex situation, it is extremely fluid, and by no means finished” he said in a brief telephone conversation. “Given all this it is not appropriate for me to say anymore.”

The former Grand Master resigned following a bitter dispute with the Vatican sparked by Festing’s sacking of his number three, Albrecht von Boeselager in a row about the distribution of condoms. The dismissal was backed by Cardinal Raymond Burke, the Order’s patron and prominent critic of Pope Francis, who claimed with Festing that the action was the wish of the Holy See. This turned out to be incorrect and following a Vatican investigation Festing stepped down and von Boeselager was reinstated.
 

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http://www.onepeterfive.com/cardinal-muller-it-is-impossible-for-mortal-sin-to-coexist-with-sanctifying-grace/

Cardinal Müller: “It is Impossible for Mortal Sin to Coexist with Sanctifying Grace”
Maike Hickson    February 1, 2017

Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has given a new interview in which he has made some comments with regard to the papal document Amoris Laetitia, and which may now be seen as an indirect response to the Four Cardinals’ own dubia.

Cardinal Müller spoke with the Italian journal Il Timone, and the interview was just published in the February issue of that journal. Dr. Sandro Magister, the Italian Vatican specialist, first reported on this interview and has today already published in English certain passages from that interview. Magister says that the German Cardinal had at first not responded to the dubia when they were sent to him directly, but, he adds:

To make up for this, however, now Müller is bringing clarity, and how [?], in an extensive interview that is coming out today [1 February] in the magazine Il Timone, conducted by editor Riccardo Cascioli and by Lorenzo Bertocchi. In the interview, the cardinal does not use the word dubia, but he says “apertis verbis” [with open words] precisely what the four cardinals were asking to have clarified. And he does not fail to lash out against those bishops who with their interpretive “sophistries” – he says – instead of acting as leaders for their faithful, are falling “into the risk of the blind leading the blind.”
 

http://magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2017/02/01/the-pope-is-silent-but-cardinal-muller-speaks-who-responds-to-the-%e2%80%9cdubia%e2%80%9d-this-way/?refresh_ce
01 feb
The Pope Is Silent, But Cardinal Müller Speaks. Who Responds To the "Dubia" This Way

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http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/
Unheard-of since the Papal States fell: Rome covered in posters critical of the Pope


https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/02/04/rome-wakes-find-city-full-anti-pope-francis-posters/
Rome wakes up to find city full of anti-Pope Francis posters
Inés San Martín   February 4, 2017

ROME- On Saturday, posters appeared around Rome featuring a stern-looking Pope Francis and asking “Where’s your mercy?” The unsigned images referred to the “decapitation” of the Knights of Malta and other actions Francis has taken against groups and individuals perceived as conservative.

“Ah Francis, you’ve taken over congregations, removed priests, decapitated the Order of Malta and the Franciscans of the Immaculate, ignored Cardinals… but where’s your mercy?” it reads.

All around the Vatican in Rome, but also in several other venues, many of the posters were quickly removed or covered by another, smaller one that said they were “Illegal Postings,” but by then the impression had already been made.

Though there’s no logo on the image, nor any clue as to who might be behind them, the content of the poster makes it clear that they come from conservative, if not traditionalist, quarters within the Catholic Church, many of whom feel ostracized, ignored and even attacked by the more progressive Argentine pontiff.
 

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The Vatican and the Order of Malta...

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-names-archb-becciu-personal-delegate-to-order

Pope names Archb. Becciu personal delegate to Order of Malta
2017-02-04 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has named Archbishop Angelo Becciu as his personal special delegate to the Sovereign Order of Malta.

In a letter Saturday addressed to Archbishop Becciu, Substitute of the Secretariat of State, the Pope gives him “all necessary powers” to help the Order reform its Constitution and elect a new leader.

Naming Becciu “as my special delegate to the distinguished Order” of Malta, the Pope emphasized that he will work in “strict collaboration” with the Order’s interim leader, Fra' Ludwig Hoffmann von Rumerstein.

The two of them, he said, must work for “greater good of the Order and for the reconciliation among all its components, religious and lay.” Additionally, they will be responsible for developing together “a study in view of the appropriate spiritual renovation” of the Order’s Constitution.

Pointing to Becciu’s role in particular, the Pope said he will be charged with caring for “everything related to the spiritual and moral renewal of the Order, especially the professed members.”

“You will be my exclusive spokesman” in everything relating to relations between the Order and the Vatican” and “I delegate to you, then, all the necessary powers to determine any issues that may arise concerning the implementation of the mandate entrusted to you” the letter said.

Becciu’s mandate will end with the conclusion of the extraordinary Council to elect a new Grand Master, after the former, Matthew Festing, resigned last month upon the request of Pope Francis.

The appointment of Becciu falls shortly after Festing’s resignation on January 24 from his position as Grand Master at the request of Pope Francis, and the reinstatement of ousted leader Albrecht von Boeselager as Grand Chancellor.

The “Council Complete of State” to elect a new Grand Master must be held within three months of the former’s resignation or death.

Though no dates have yet been set, at a press conference highlighting the Order’s priorities this week, Boeselager said the council is expected to take place in late April.
 
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/new-order-of-malta-government-shares-its-vision-for-the-future
Feb. 4, 2017
New Order of Malta Government Shares Its Vision for the Future
Re-instated Grand Chancellor Albrecht von Boeselager outlines his priorities as Pope Francis appoints his Special Delegate to the ancient chivalric Order.
Edward Pentin

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-try-to-change-the-rules-of-the-socio

Pope Francis: Try to change the rules of the socio-economic system
2017-02-04 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday called for a change of “the rules of the game of the socio-economic system,” adding “imitating the Good Samaritan of the Gospel is not enough.”

The Holy Father was speaking to participants of a meeting to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of Economy of Communion. Associated with the Focolare Movement, the project sets up businesses that follow market laws, but pool the profits in communion.

“Economy and Communion,” – Pope Francis said – “These are two words that contemporary culture keeps separate and often considers opposite.”

The Pope commended the organization for holding their profits in communion, and warned about the danger posed by money.

“Money is important, especially when there is none and food, school, and the children’s future depend on it,” – the Pope said – “But it becomes an idol when it becomes the aim.”

He said the “goddess fortune” has become the divinity of a hazardous financial system which is destroying millions of families around the world.

“This idolatrous worship is a surrogate for eternal life,” – Pope Francis explained – “Individual products (cars, telephones ...) get old and wear out, but if I have money or credit, I can immediately buy others, deluding myself of conquering death.”

The Holy Father went on to note that although there are many public and private initiatives to fight poverty, “capitalism continues to produce discarded people whom it would then like to care for.”

“The principal ethical dilemma of this capitalism is the creation of discarded people, then trying to hide them or make sure they are never seen,” – the Pope continued – “A serious form of poverty in a civilization is when it is no longer able to see its poor, who are first discarded and then hidden.”

Pope Francis said the Economy of Communion, if it wants to be faithful to its charism, must not only take care of the victims, but also build a system where the victims are fewer and fewer, until maybe there are no longer any.

“As long as the economy still produces one victim and there is still a single discarded person, communion has not yet been realized; the celebration of universal fraternity is not full,” he said.

“Therefore, We must work toward changing the rules of the game of the socio-economic system,” – the Pope continued – “imitating the Good Samaritan of the Gospel is not enough.”
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-respond-to-logic-of-waste-with-culture-of-lif

Pope: 'respond to logic of waste with culture of life'
2017-02-05 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has urged all believers to respond to “the logic of waste and demographic downturn” by upholding and promoting a “culture of life”.

Speaking to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square after the recitation of the Angelus prayer, the Pope marked Sunday’s celebration in Italy of the “Day for Life” with a call to join Italian Bishops in promoting a culture of life in which “no one is left alone”.

“Each life is sacred” Pope Francis said, let’s pray together for those children who risk a pregnancy termination and for those who are nearing the end of life.”

“May no one, he continued, be left alone and may love defend the sense of life.”

Quoting the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta: “Life is beauty, admire it; Life is life, fight for it” he said that is true for the child about to be born and for the person who is about to die: “Every life is sacred!”
           
During his catechesis, the Pope referred to the Gospel reading of the day that tells of the Sermon on the Mount and  urged Christians to preserve society from corruption and gossip.

“We are the salt of the earth” he said, and the mission of Christians in society is to give flavor to life with faith and with the love that Christ has given us “rejecting the polluting germs of selfishness, envy and gossip.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-being-salt-of-the-earth-and-light-of-the-world/
Angelus Address: On Being Salt of the Earth and Light of the World 
February 5, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k6op5xQtKg
2017.02.05 Angelus Domini 

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English translation of the interview with Cardinal Muller

http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/5403/the_truth_is_not_up_for_negotiation.aspx

The Truth is Not Up for Negotiation
February 04, 2017
Cardinal Gerhard L. Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, speaks on the meaning of doctrine and its relationship with personal conscience, ecumenism and the interpretation of "Amoris Laetitia".

Editor's note: The following interview appeared in the February 2017 edition of Il Timone and was conducted by Riccardo Cascioli and Lorenzo Bertocchi. The translation is by Andrew Guernsey. 
--------
Amoris Laetitia? "It should be read as a whole, in any case, adultery is always a mortal sin and the bishops who stir confusion on this should study for themselves the doctrine of the Church. We must help the sinner to overcome the sin and to repent."

The unity of Christians? "It is important, but it cannot become relativism, one can not sell out the sacraments instituted by Jesus."

Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, weighs in with utmost clarity upon the hottest topics of ecclesial debate and beyond. We met him in the rooms from which he directs what once was the Holy Office, the place with custody of sound doctrine. We were greeted with great cordiality. His role of defender of Catholic orthodoxy, combined with an imposing physique and Teutonic [German] origins elicited a certain reverence, but it was quickly overcome by the Cardinal's cheerfulness and accessibility. We sit around the table; the theme is doctrine, the role it has in the Christian life, knowing we were broaching an unpopular topic.

Your Eminence, let us go straight to the heart of the question. What is doctrine?
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-may-this-years-super-bowl-be-a-sign-of-peace

Pope: May this year's Super Bowl be a sign of peace, friendship and solidarity
2017-02-05 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday reached out to Americans urging them to make this year’s Super Bowl a sign of peace, friendship and solidarity to the world.

In a specially recorded video message for the event which holds the attention of much of the nation and commands a television audience larger than for any other event of the year, the Pope pointed out that great sporting events like the championship game of the National Football League are highly symbolic, and show that it is possible to build a culture of encounter and a world of peace. 

“By participating in sport, we are able to go beyond our own self-interest - and in a healthy way - we learn to sacrifice, to grow in fidelity and respect the rules. May this year's Super Bowl be a sign of peace, friendship and solidarity to the world” he said.

The 2017 Super Bowl takes place in Houston and features the final NFL showdown between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIjJ4BTNzUQ&feature=youtu.be&a
Video message for the National Football League’s Super Bowl
 
Published on Feb 5, 2017

Welcome.
Great sporting events like today's Super Bowl are highly symbolic, showing that it is possible to build a culture of encounter and a world of peace.
By participating in sport, we are able to go beyond our own self interest - and in a healthy way - we learn to sacrifice, to grow in fidelity and respect the rules.
May this year's Super Bowl be a sign of peace, friendship and solidarity to the world.
Thank you!
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-mass-be-open-receptive-to-gods-gif

Pope Francis at Mass: be open, receptive to God's gifts
2017-02-06 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said Mass in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta on Monday morning. In remarks to the faithful following the readings of the day, the Holy Father focused on the theme of Christian freedom, saying that the follower of Christ is a “slave” – but of love, not of duty, and urging the faithful not to hide in the “rigidity” of the Commandments.

The Pope took the Responsorial Psalm, 103 (104) as his starting point: a “song of praise” to God for His wonders. “The Father,” said Pope Francis, “works to make this wonder of creation and with His Son to accomplish this wonder of re-creation.” Pope Francis also recalled an episode in which a child asked him what God was doing before He created the world: “He was loving,” was the response.

Open your heart, do not take refuge in the rigidity of the Commandments

Why then did God create the world? “Simply to share His fullness,” Francis said. “To have someone to whom [to give] and with whom to share His fullness.” In the re-creation, God sends His Son to “set things right” – to make “the ugly one handsome, of the mistake a true [cast], of the villain a good guy”:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/german-catholics-and-lutherans-take-new-steps-towa

German Catholics and Lutherans take new steps towards unity
2017-02-06 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation offers Catholics and Lutherans an opportunity to take further steps towards reconciliation and full Christian unity. That was Pope Francis’ message on Monday to an ecumenical delegation from Germany, led by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president of the German bishops conference, and top Protestant Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, chairman of the Evangelical Churches in Germany (EKD).

Welcoming the delegation to the Vatican, Pope Francis praised the positive relationship between Catholics and Lutherans in Germany, urging them to be courageous and determined in their continuing journey together. “We share the same baptism”, he said, “we must walk together tirelessly!”

Reflecting on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation , he said it’s an opportunity to put Christ back at the centre of their ecumenical relations. Just as the question of a merciful God was the driving force of Luther and the other Reformers, so it must be at the heart of our joint efforts to propose the radical truth of God’s limitless mercy to men and women today.

Speaking of the tragedy of divisions and conflict, fomented by political interests, the Pope praised the initiative of the German delegation to hold an ecumenical service of penitence and reconciliation entitled “Healing memories – witnessing to Jesus Christ”.

Catholics and Lutherans will also be participating in other joint events this year, he said, including a shared pilgrimage to the Holy Land, a congress to present new translations of the Bible and an ecumenical day dedicated to shared social responsibility.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/popes-address-to-ecumenical-delegation-from-germany/
Pope’s Address to Ecumenical Delegation From Germany 
February 6, 2017

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-at-mass-god-created-us-as-children-in-his-ima

Pope at Mass: ‘God created us as children in His image’
2017-02-07 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Tuesday said that God created man in His image, made him lord of the earth, and gave him a woman at his side to love. The Pope’s words on these three gifts of God in Creation came during his homily at daily Mass in the Casa Santa Marta.

The Holy Father’s homily at Mass focused on the verses of Psalm 8: "Lord, what is man that you are mindful of him? Yet you have made him little less than a god, crowned him with glory and honor,” and on the Book of Genesis’ account of the Creation of man and woman.

God has given us the DNA of children, in His image

The Pope spoke about the first of three great gifts, which God gave humanity in creation.

"First of all, He gave us His 'DNA', that is, He made us children, created us in His image, in His image and likeness, like Him. And when one makes a child, he cannot take it back: the son is made, he exists. And whether or not he carries resembles the father, he is a son; he has received his identity. If the child is good, his father is proud of that son, right?, 'Look at how good he is!'. And even if he is a little ugly, the father in any case says: 'Isn’t he beautiful!', because a father is like this. Always. And if the son is bad, the father justifies him, waiting for him ... Jesus taught us how a father waits for his children. He gave us the identity of a child: to 'man and woman', we must add the identity of ‘child’. We 'are like gods', because we are children of God."
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/popes-lenten-message-the-word-is-a-gift-other-pers

Pope's Lenten message: The Word is a gift. Other persons are a gift
2017-02-07 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’ Lenten message was released on Tuesday entitled “The Word is a gift. Other persons are a gift.”

Below find the English language translation of Pope Francis’ Lenten message.

The Word is a gift. Other persons are a gift.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

            Lent is a new beginning, a path leading to the certain goal of Easter, Christ’s victory over death. This season urgently calls us to conversion. Christians are asked to return to God “with all their hearts” (Joel 2:12), to refuse to settle for mediocrity and to grow in friendship with the Lord. Jesus is the faithful friend who never abandons us.  Even when we sin, he patiently awaits our return; by that patient expectation, he shows us his readiness to forgive (cf. Homily, 8 January 2016).

            Lent is a favorable season for deepening our spiritual life through the means of sanctification offered us by the Church: fasting, prayer and almsgiving. At the basis of everything is the word of God, which during this season we are invited to hear and ponder more deeply. I would now like to consider the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (cf. Lk 16:19-31). Let us find inspiration in this meaningful story, for it provides a key to understanding what we need to do in order to attain true happiness and eternal life.  It exhorts us to sincere conversion.