Halloween party ideas 2015

ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square
Sunday, 25 October 2015



Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!

This morning, with the Holy Mass celebrated in St Peter’s Basilica, the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Family has concluded. I invite everyone to give thanks to God for these three weeks of intense work, enlivened by prayer and by a spirit of true communion. It was demanding, but it was a true gift of God, which will surely bear much fruit.

The word “synod” means “walking together”. And what we have experienced was an experience of the Church on a journey, journeying especially with the families of the holy People of God spread throughout the world. For this reason I was struck by the Word of God which comes to us today in the prophecy of Jeremiah. It says: “Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and those in labour, together; a great company, they shall return here”. And the Prophet adds: “With weeping they departed, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel” (cf. 31:8-9).

This Word of God tells us that the first to want to walk with us, to be “in synod” with us, is actually He, our Father. His “dream”, for ever and always, is that of forming a people, of gathering it, of guiding it toward the land of liberty and peace. And this people is made up of families: there are “the woman with child and those in labour”; it is a people that while walking, sends life forth, with God’s blessing.

It is a people that does not exclude the poor and underprivileged, but instead, includes them. The Prophet says: “among them the blind and the lame”. It is a family of families, in which one who toils is not marginalized, left behind, but manages to stay in step with the others, because this people walks in step with the least; as is done in families, and as we are taught by the Lord, who made himself poor with the poor, little with the little ones, last with the least. He did not do so in order to exclude the wealthy, the great and first, but because this is the only way to save even them, to save everyone: to go with the least, with the excluded, with the lowliest.

I confess that I compared this prophecy of the people on a journey with refugees trudging the streets of Europe, a tragic reality of our time. To them too the Lord says: “With great weeping they departed, and with consolations I will lead them back”. These greatly suffering families, uprooted from their lands, were also present with us in the Synod, in our prayers and in our work, through the voice of several of their pastors present in the Assembly. These people seeking dignity, these families seeking peace, are still with us, the Church does not abandon them, because they are part of the people that God wants to set free from slavery and guide to freedom.

Thus, both the synodal experience that we lived, and the tragedy of the refugees trudging the streets of Europe are reflected in this Word of God. May the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, help us, too, to put [the Word of God] into practice by way of fraternal communion.

After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters, I greet you all, faithful of Rome and pilgrims from various countries.
In particular I greet the “Hermandad del Señor de los Milagros” of Rome. [In Spanish: there are so many Peruvians in the Square!], who with such devotion have carried in procession the Image venerated in Lima, Peru, and wheresoever Peruvians have emigrated. Thank you for your witness!
I wish everyone a pleasant Sunday, and please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci.

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
HOLY MASS FOR THE CLOSING
OF THE XIV ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS
Vatican Basilica
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 25 October 2015
The three Readings for this Sunday show us God’s compassion, his fatherhood, definitively revealed in Jesus.

In the midst of a national disaster, the people deported by their enemies, the prophet Jeremiah proclaims that “the Lord has saved his people, the remnant of Israel” (31:7). Why did he save them? Because he is their Father (cf. v. 9); and as a Father, he takes care of his children and accompanies them on the way, sustaining “the blind and the lame, the women with child and those in labour” (31:8). His fatherhood opens up for them a path forward, a way of consolation after so many tears and great sadness. If the people remain faithful, if they persevere in their search for God even in a foreign land, God will change their captivity into freedom, their solitude into communion: what the people sow today in tears, they will reap tomorrow in joy (cf. Ps 125:6).

We too have expressed, with the Psalm, the joy which is the fruit of the Lord’s salvation: “our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongues with shouts of joy” (v. 2). A believer is someone who has experienced God’s salvific action in his life. We pastors have experienced what it means to sow with difficulty, at times in tears, and to rejoice for the grace of a harvest which is beyond our strength and capacity.

The passage from the Letter to the Hebrews shows us Jesus’ compassion. He also “is beset with weakness” (5:2), so that he can feel compassion for those in ignorance and error. Jesus is the great high priest, holy and innocent, but also the high priest who has taken on our weakness and been tempted like us in all things, save sin (cf. 4:15). For this reason he is the mediator of the new and definitive covenant which brings us salvation.

Today’s Gospel is directly linked to the First Reading: as the people of Israel were freed thanks to God’s fatherhood, so too Bartimaeus is freed thanks to Jesus’ compassion. Jesus has just left Jericho. Even though he has only begun his most important journey, which will take him to Jerusalem, he still stops to respond to Bartimaeus’ cry. Jesus is moved by his request and becomes involved in his situation. He is not content to offer him alms, but rather wants to personally encounter him. He does not give him any instruction or response, but asks him: “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mk 10:51). It might seem a senseless question: what could a blind man wish for if not his sight? Yet, with this question made face to face, direct but respectful, Jesus shows that he wants to hear our needs. He wants to talk with each of us about our lives, our real situations, so that nothing is kept from him. After Bartimaeus’ healing, the Lord tells him: “Your faith has made you well” (v. 52). It is beautiful to see how Christ admires Bartimaeus’ faith, how he has confidence in him. He believes in us, more than we believe in ourselves.

There is an interesting detail. Jesus asks his disciples to go and call Bartimaeus. They address the blind man with two expressions, which only Jesus uses in the rest of the Gospel. First they say to him: “Take heart!”, which literally means “have faith, strong courage!”. Indeed, only an encounter with Jesus gives a person the strength to face the most difficult situations. The second expression is “Rise!”, as Jesus said to so many of the sick, whom he took by the hand and healed. His disciples do nothing other than repeat Jesus’ encouraging and liberating words, leading him directly to Jesus, without lecturing him. Jesus’ disciples are called to this, even today, especially today: to bring people into contact with the compassionate Mercy that saves. When humanity’s cry, like Bartimaeus’, becomes stronger still, there is no other response than to make Jesus’ words our own and, above all, imitate his heart. Moments of suffering and conflict are for God occasions of mercy. Today is a time of mercy!

There are, however, some temptations for those who follow Jesus. Today’s Gospel shows at least two of them. None of the disciples stopped, as Jesus did. They continued to walk, going on as if nothing were happening. If Bartimaeus was blind, they were deaf: his problem was not their problem. This can be a danger for us: in the face of constant problems, it is better to move on, instead of letting ourselves be bothered. In this way, just like the disciples, we are with Jesus but we do not think like him. We are in his group, but our hearts are not open. We lose wonder, gratitude and enthusiasm, and risk becoming habitually unmoved by grace. We are able to speak about him and work for him, but we live far from his heart, which is reaching out to those who are wounded. This is the temptation: a “spirituality of illusion”: we can walk through the deserts of humanity without seeing what is really there; instead, we see what we want to see. We are capable of developing views of the world, but we do not accept what the Lord places before our eyes. A faith that does not know how to root itself in the life of people remains arid and, rather than oases, creates other deserts.

There is a second temptation, that of falling into a “scheduled faith”. We are able to walk with the People of God, but we already have our schedule for the journey, where everything is listed: we know where to go and how long it will take; everyone must respect our rhythm and every problem is a bother. We run the risk of becoming the “many” of the Gospel who lose patience and rebuke Bartimaeus. Just a short time before, they scolded the children (cf. 10:13), and now the blind beggar: whoever bothers us or is not of our stature is excluded. Jesus, on the other hand, wants to include, above all those kept on the fringes who are crying out to him. They, like Bartimaeus, have faith, because awareness of the need for salvation is the best way of encountering Jesus.

In the end, Bartimaeus follows Jesus on his path (cf. v. 52). He did not only regain his sight, but he joined the community of those who walk with Jesus. Dear Synod Fathers, we have walked together. Thank you for the path we have shared with our eyes fixed on Jesus and our brothers and sisters, in the search for the paths which the Gospel indicates for our times so that we can proclaim the mystery of family love. Let us follow the path that the Lord desires. Let us ask him to turn to us with his healing and saving gaze, which knows how to radiate light, as it recalls the splendour which illuminates it. Never allowing ourselves to be tarnished by pessimism or sin, let us seek and look upon the glory of God, which shines forth in men and women who are fully alive.


 © Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Beriman di Meja Makan

Sr Margareta di tengah


Di tengah berisiknya para tamu
Suaranya menggema, seraya memohon tenang
Lalu, memanjatkan doa pada-Nya
Katanya, mari kita bersyukur atas roti yang dibagikan ini

Dari ujung ruangan ada teriakan
Minta agar volume suara ditinggikan
Memang, dalam berisik tidak ada yang bisa didengarkan
Ketika ada saling pengertian untuk mendengar, di situlah ada suara

Lalu, dia mengulangi doanya
Kali ini semua tenang
Semua bisa mendengarkannya
Di akhir doa, dia bersahut, salamat makan

Kami semua lalu duduk di meja,
Temanku bertanya sebagai awal percakapan
Kok bisa ya, tamu yang datang sebanyak ini
Kataku, ya, inikan kenalannya

Lalu, kami mulai berkenalan lagi dengan tamu berwajah baru
Rupanya mereka juga temannya sang suster neo-profesan
Ah, kita sama donk
Kami juga adalah teman-temannya

Aku lalu berkomentar, rupanya masih ada orang beriman di tengah gersangnya animo masyarakat terhadap gereja
Kata temanku, ya tentu saja
Iman tetap ada dan hidup
Meski iman itu adalah urusanku dengan Tuhan

Iman bukan saja urusanku dan Tuhan lho
Kataku menyanggah pertanyaan temanku
Dia memang menekankan hal ini
Sebab dia orang berintelek

Aku terus menjelaskan padanya
Jika iman itu bukan melulu relasi eksklusif antara aku dan Dia
Bahkan, di meja makan ini, kita bisa beriman lho, kataku

Maksudnya bagaimana, serunya
Kok bisa beriman di meja makan, lanjutnya
Aku lalu mencari kata-kata untuk menjelaskannya
Bahasa yang sulit mesti disederhanakan

Aku lalu mulai dengan gambaran ini
Di ruangan ini, ada banyak tamu
Duduk menurut kelompok mejanya
Kita semua adalah orang beriman

Temanku menganggukkan kepala
sambil memerhatikan penjelasan lanjutan
Kataku lagi, sederhananya beriman itu adalah berelasi
Dengan Dia yang di atas dan dengan sesama

Relasi dengan Dia mustahil tanpa relasi dengan sesama
Relasi dengan sesama tak kuat tanpa relasi dengan Dia
Jadi, beriman adalah berelasi
Di meja ini juga kita bisa beriman

Temanku lalu tersenyum
Ah, rupanya kita bisa beriman dan mendiskusikan iman di meja makan
Hidangan mulai diedarkan
Kami pun mulai menikmatinya dan menanggalkan diskusi kami

*dari percakapan di Verona

**File puisi ini pernah dikirim ke situs sesawi Jakarta tetapi tidak ditindaklanjuti. Penulis berhak memublikasikannya di blog ini.


UDIENZA GENERALE PAPA FRANCESCO
Piazza San Pietro
Mercoledì, 21 ottobre 2015



La Famiglia - 30. Fedeltà dell’amore

Cari fratelli e sorelle, buongiorno!
Nella scorsa meditazione abbiamo riflettuto sulle importanti promesse che i genitori fanno ai bambini, fin da quando essi sono pensati nell’amore e concepiti nel grembo.

Possiamo aggiungere che, a ben guardare, l’intera realtà famigliare è fondata sulla promessa - pensare bene questo: l’identità famigliare è fondata sulla promessa -: si può dire che la famiglia vive della promessa d’amore e di fedeltà che l’uomo e la donna si fanno l’un l’altra. Essa comporta l’impegno di accogliere ed educare i figli; ma si attua anche nel prendersi cura dei genitori anziani, nel proteggere e accudire i membri più deboli della famiglia, nell’aiutarsi a vicenda per realizzare le proprie qualità ed accettare i propri limiti. E la promessa coniugale si allarga a condividere le gioie e le sofferenze di tutti i padri, le madri, i bambini, con generosa apertura nei confronti dell’umana convivenza e del bene comune. Una famiglia che si chiude in sé stessa è come una contraddizione, una mortificazione della promessa che l’ha fatta nascere e la fa vivere. Non dimenticare mai: l’identità della famiglia è sempre una promessa che si allarga, e si allarga a tutta la famiglia e anche a tutta l’umanità.

Ai nostri giorni, l’onore della fedeltà alla promessa della vita famigliare appare molto indebolito. Da una parte, perché un malinteso diritto di cercare la propria soddisfazione, a tutti i costi e in qualsiasi rapporto, viene esaltato come un principio non negoziabile di libertà. D’altra parte, perché si affidano esclusivamente alla costrizione della legge i vincoli della vita di relazione e dell’impegno per il bene comune. Ma, in realtà, nessuno vuole essere amato solo per i propri beni o per obbligo. L’amore, come anche l’amicizia, devono la loro forza e la loro bellezza proprio a questo fatto: che generano un legame senza togliere la libertà. L’amore è libero, la promessa della famiglia è libera, e questa è la bellezza. Senza libertà non c’è amicizia, senza libertà non c’è amore, senza libertà non c’è matrimonio.

Dunque, libertà e fedeltà non si oppongono l’una all’altra, anzi, si sostengono a vicenda, sia nei rapporti interpersonali, sia in quelli sociali. Infatti, pensiamo ai danni che producono, nella civiltà della comunicazione globale, l’inflazione di promesse non mantenute, in vari campi, e l’indulgenza per l’infedeltà alla parola data e agli impegni presi!

Sì, cari fratelli e sorelle, la fedeltà è una promessa di impegno che si auto-avvera, crescendo nella libera obbedienza alla parola data. La fedeltà è una fiducia che “vuole” essere realmente condivisa, e una speranza che “vuole” essere coltivata insieme. E parlando di fedeltà mi viene in mente quello che i nostri anziani, i nostri nonni raccontano: “A quei tempi, quando si faceva un accordo, una stretta di mano era sufficiente, perché c’era la fedeltà alle promesse. E anche questo, che è un fatto sociale, ha origine nella famiglia, nella stretta di mano dell’uomo e la donna per andare avanti insieme, tutta la vita.

La fedeltà alle promesse è un vero capolavoro di umanità! Se guardiamo alla sua audace bellezza, siamo intimoriti, ma se disprezziamo la sua coraggiosa tenacia, siamo perduti. Nessun rapporto d’amore – nessuna amicizia, nessuna forma del voler bene, nessuna felicità del bene comune – giunge all’altezza del nostro desiderio e della nostra speranza, se non arriva ad abitare questo miracolo dell’anima. E dico “miracolo”, perché la forza e la persuasione della fedeltà, a dispetto di tutto, non finiscono di incantarci e di stupirci. L’onore alla parola data, la fedeltà alla promessa, non si possono comprare e vendere. Non si possono costringere con la forza, ma neppure custodire senza sacrificio.

Nessun’altra scuola può insegnare la verità dell’amore, se la famiglia non lo fa. Nessuna legge può imporre la bellezza e l’eredità di questo tesoro della dignità umana, se il legame personale fra amore e generazione non la scrive nella nostra carne.

Fratelli e sorelle, è necessario restituire onore sociale alla fedeltà dell’amore: restituire onore sociale alla fedeltà dell’amore! E’ necessario sottrarre alla clandestinità il quotidiano miracolo di milioni di uomini e donne che rigenerano il suo fondamento famigliare, del quale ogni società vive, senza essere in grado di garantirlo in nessun altro modo. Non per caso, questo principio della fedeltà alla promessa dell’amore e della generazione è scritto nella creazione di Dio come una benedizione perenne, alla quale è affidato il mondo.
Se san Paolo può affermare che nel legame famigliare è misteriosamente rivelata una verità decisiva anche per il legame del Signore e della Chiesa, vuol dire che la Chiesa stessa trova qui una benedizione da custodire e dalla quale sempre imparare, prima ancora di insegnarla e disciplinarla. La nostra fedeltà alla promessa è pur sempre affidata alla grazia e alla misericordia di Dio. L’amore per la famiglia umana, nella buona e nella cattiva sorte, è un punto d’onore per la Chiesa! Dio ci conceda di essere all’altezza di questa promessa. E preghiamo anche per i Padri del Sinodo: il Signore benedica il loro lavoro, svolto con fedeltà creativa, nella fiducia che Lui per primo, il Signore - Lui per primo! -, è fedele alle sue promesse. Grazie.


Saluti:
[Saluto cordialmente i pellegrini di lingua francese, in particolare i fedeli della Normandia, della Diocesi di Creteil, la Comunità apostolica San Francesco Saverio e i giovani venuti dalla Svizzera. Chiediamo a Dio che conceda a ciascuno di restare fedele alle sue promesse, che noi affidiamo al soccorso della sua grazia e della sua misericordia.
Che Dio benedica voi e le vostre famiglie.]

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England, Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Canada and the United States of America.  In a particular way I greet the participants in the meeting of the International Diaconate Center. God bless you all!
[Saluto i pellegrini di lingua inglese presenti all’odierna Udienza, specialmente quelli provenienti da Inghilterra, Scozia, Irlanda, Danimarca, Norvegia, Cina, Indonesia, Giappone, Malaysia, Canada e Stati Uniti d’America.  Rivolgo un saluto particolare ai partecipanti all’incontro promosso dal Centro Internazionale del Diaconato. Dio vi benedica tutti!]

[Rivolgo un cordiale saluto a tutti i partecipanti di lingua tedesca. Saluto specialmente i pellegrini dall’Arcidiocesi di Berlino con il loro Presule, Mons. Heiner Koch. Ottobre è il mese del Santo Rosario. Vi chiedo di pregare nelle vostre famiglie il Rosario, in particolare per il Sinodo sulla Famiglia, affinché la Beata Vergine Maria ci aiuti a compiere la volontà di Dio. Il Signore vi benedica tutti.]

[Saluto i pellegrini di lingua spagnola, in particolare i gruppi provenienti dalla Spagna e dall’America latina. Vi invito a pregare per i padri sinodali, il Signore benedica il loro lavoro, sviluppato con fedeltà creativa e con la ferma speranza che il Signore è il primo a essere fedele alle sue promesse. Dio vi benedica.]

[Carissimi pellegrini del Portogallo, del Brasile e di altri Paesi di lingua portoghese, benvenuti! Di cuore vi saluto tutti e affido al buon Dio la vostra vita e quella dei vostri familiari. Sono lieto d’accogliere la delegazione della Comunità Ebraica di San Paolo, accompagnata dal Cardinal Odilo Scherer. Questa visita a Roma vi aiuti a essere pronti, come Abramo, ad uscire ogni giorno verso la terra di Dio e dell’uomo, rivelandovi un segno dell’amore di Dio per tutti i suoi figli. Grazie!]

[Rivolgo un cordiale benvenuto ai pellegrini di lingua araba, in particolare a quelli provenienti dal Medio Oriente e soprattutto dall’Egitto. Cari fratelli e sorelle, continuate ad accompagnare il Sinodo con la vostra preghiera, e siate testimoni della presenza costante di Dio nel mondo attraverso la vostra vita famigliare. Il Signore vi benedica!]

[Do il benvenuto ai pellegrini polacchi. Carissimi, domani celebriamo la memoria di San Giovanni Paolo II, il Papa della famiglia. Siate suoi buoni seguaci nella premura per le vostre famiglie e per tutte le famiglie, specialmente quelle che vivono nel disagio spirituale o materiale. La fedeltà all’amore professato, alle promesse fatte e agli impegni che derivano dalla responsabilità siano la vostra forza. Per l’intercessione di San Giovanni Paolo II preghiamo che il Sinodo dei Vescovi, che sta per concludersi, rinnovi in tutta la Chiesa il senso dell’innegabile valore del matrimonio indissolubile e della famiglia sana, basata sull’amore reciproco dell’uomo e della donna, e sulla grazia divina. Benedico di cuore voi, qui presenti, e tutti i vostri cari. Sia lodato Gesù Cristo!]

* * *
Rivolgo un cordiale benvenuto ai fedeli di lingua italiana. Sono lieto di accogliere i cresimati della Diocesi di Faenza-Modigliana, accompagnati dal Vescovo Mons. Mario Toso e l’Associazione per l’assistenza spirituale alle forze armate, con l’Ordinario Militare Mons. Santo Marcianò.

Saluto l’Università Campus-Biomedico di Roma; l’Associazione europea Amici di San Rocco; e i gruppi parrocchiali, in particolare i fedeli di Erba, che ricordano il centenario della nascita del vescovo missionario Aristide Pirovano, sempre in  prima linea nell’aiuto ai poveri. Tutti esorto in questo mese dedicato alle missioni ad accompagnare con la preghiera e con l’aiuto concreto l’apostolato  missionario della Chiesa nei paesi più bisognosi.
Un pensiero speciale rivolgo ai giovani, agli ammalati e agli sposi novelli. Domani ricorre la memoria liturgica di San Giovanni Paolo II. Cari giovani, la sua testimonianza di vita sia di esempio per il vostro cammino; cari ammalati, portate con gioia la croce della sofferenza come egli ci ha insegnato con l'esempio; e voi, cari sposi novelli, chiedete la sua intercessione perché nella vostra nuova famiglia non manchi mai l’amore.




© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Ketika Kau Jawab YA pada-Nya
 
FOTO dari fb Margerita


SAAT itu kamu duduk sendiri
Merenungkan masa depanmu
Tentu engkau sudah memikirkannya
Hanya saja butuh waktu untuk menentukan secara pasti

Bukan pilihan main-main
Sekali YA tetap YA untuk selamanya
Maka, jika salah engkau akan menyesal
Tetapi jika benar engkau menikmatinya

Tawarannya memang untuk semua
Tidak ada pengecualian
Hanya saja butuh waktu untuk menjawabnya
Butuh waktu untuk memastikannya

Demikianlah engkau saat itu
Sebulan penuh hanya untuk menentukan pilihan terakhir
Engkau lalu prosesnya bertahun-tahun
Sambil bertanya ini atau itu

Hari ini engkau menjawab YA pada tawarannya
Jawaban mutlak dan tidak main-main
Sudah memikirkan konsekuensinya
Sudah mematangkan cara menghadapinya

Yesus menawarkan pada semua
Semua mesti menjawab
Semua mesti memilih sesuai yang Ia tawarkan
Dan, hari ini engkau sudah meng-YA-kan tawaran Yesus

Yesus akan menyertaimu selamanya
Di dalam perjalananmu
Saat engkau seperti Bartimeus
Yesus akan memberimu cahaya

Lanjutkan perjalananmu
Menuju orang miskin dan terasing
Sebab merekalah Bartimeus modern
Yang menunggu teriakanmu

Selamat profesi kekal saudariku

Bussolenggo, Verona, Italia

25/10/15
Gordi Afri

*Dimuat di situs sesawi.net 


HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 18 October 2015

HOLY MASS AND CANONIZATION OF THE BLESSEDS:
- VINCENZO GROSSI
- MARY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
- LUDOVICO MARTIN AND MARIA AZELIA GUÉRIN

Today’s biblical readings present the theme of service. They call us to follow Jesus on the path of humility and the cross.

The prophet Isaiah depicts the Servant of the Lord (53:10-11) and his mission of salvation. The Servant is not someone of illustrious lineage; he is despised, shunned by all, a man of sorrows. He does not do great things or make memorable speeches; instead, he fulfils God’s plan through his humble, quiet presence and his suffering. His mission is carried out in suffering, and this enables him to understand those who suffer, to shoulder the guilt of others and to make atonement for it. The abandonment and sufferings of the Servant of the Lord, even unto death, prove so fruitful that they bring redemption and salvation to many.

Jesus is the Servant of the Lord. His life and death, marked by an attitude of utter service (cf. Phil 2:7), were the cause of our salvation and the reconciliation of mankind with God. The kerygma, the heart of the Gospel, testifies that his death and resurrection fulfilled the prophecies of the Servant of the Lord. Saint Mark tells us how Jesus confronted the disciples James and John. Urged on by their mother, they wanted to sit at his right and left in God’s Kingdom (cf. Mk 10:37), claiming places of honour in accordance with their own hierarchical vision of the Kingdom. Their horizon was still clouded by illusions of earthly fulfilment. Jesus then gives a first “jolt” to their notions by speaking of his own earthly journey: “The cup that I drink you will drink… but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared” (vv. 39-40). With the image of the cup, he assures the two that they can fully partake of his destiny of suffering, without, however, promising their sought-after places of honour. His response is to invite them to follow him along the path of love and service, and to reject the worldly temptation of seeking the first place and commanding others.

Faced with people who seek power and success in order to be noticed, who want their achievements and efforts to be acknowledged, the disciples are called to do the opposite. Jesus warns them: “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant” (vv. 42-44). These words show us that service is the way for authority to be exercised in the Christian community. Those who serve others and lack real prestige exercise genuine authority in the Church. Jesus calls us to see things differently, to pass from the thirst for power to the joy of quiet service, to suppress our instinctive desire to exercise power over others, and instead to exercise the virtue of humility.

After proposing a model not to imitate, Jesus then offers himself as the ideal to be followed. By imitating the Master, the community gains a new outlook on life: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (v. 45). In the biblical tradition, the Son of Man is the one who receives from God “dominion, glory and kingship” (Dan 7:14). Jesus fills this image with new meaning. He shows us that he enjoys dominion because he is a servant, glory because he is capable of abasement, kingship because he is fully prepared to lay down his life. By his passion and death, he takes the lowest place, attains the heights of grandeur in service, and bestows this upon his Church.

There can be no compatibility between a worldly understanding of power and the humble service which must characterize authority according to Jesus’ teaching and example. Ambition and careerism are incompatible with Christian discipleship; honour, success, fame and worldly triumphs are incompatible with the logic of Christ crucified. Instead, compatibility exists between Jesus, “the man of sorrows”, and our suffering. The Letter to the Hebrews makes this clear by presenting Jesus as the high priest who completely shares our human condition, with the exception of sin: “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin” (4:15). Jesus exercises a true priesthood of mercy and compassion. He knows our difficulties at first hand, he knows from within our human condition; the fact that he is without sin does not prevent him from understanding sinners. His glory is not that born of ambition or the thirst for power; it is is the glory of one who loves men and women, who accepts them and shares in their weakness, who offers them the grace which heals and restores, and accompanies them with infinite tenderness amid their tribulations.

Each of us, through baptism, share in our own way in Christ’s priesthood: the lay faithful in the common priesthood, priests in the ministerial priesthood. Consequently, all of us can receive the charity which flows from his open heart, for ourselves but also for others, and become “channels” of his love and compassion, especially for those who are suffering, discouraged and alone.

The men and women canonized today unfailingly served their brothers and sisters with outstanding humility and charity, in imitation of the divine Master. Saint Vincent Grossi was a zealous parish priest, ever attentive to the needs of his people, especially those of the young. For all he was concerned to break the bread of God’s word, and thus became a Good Samaritan to those in greatest need.

Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception, drawing from the springs of prayer and contemplation, devoted her life, with great humility, to serving the least of our brothers and sisters, especially the children of the poor and the sick.

The holy spouses Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin practised Christian service in the family, creating day by day an environment of faith and love which nurtured the vocations of their daughters, among whom was Saint Therese of the Child Jesus.

The radiant witness of these new saints inspires us to persevere in joyful service to our brothers and sisters, trusting in the help of God and the maternal protection of Mary. From heaven may they now watch over us and sustain us by their powerful intercession.


© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana


RITIRO MENSILE OTTOBRE 2015
 
CASA MADRE delle Saveriane, vista da colline di Maria
Giovedì 22 ottobre è il giorno del primo ritiro mensile in quest’anno. Lo abbiamo fatto nella casa madre delle saveriane. Non c’è il tema speciale oltre quello di riflettere i voti. Questo ritiro spiritualmente è come la preparazione per il rinnovo dei voti. Il rinnovo sarà nel cinque novembre.

Oltre questo tema, abbiamo ascoltato anche la condivisone di Suora Angeli Bertelli, MMX. Lei ha vissuto la missione in Sierra Leone e poi in Thailandia. La sua esperienza è molto interessante. A me è piaciuto una cosa cioè vivere la quotidianità con lo spirito della Parola di Dio. Lei ci ha detto, ogni giorno leggendo la bibbia è come punto di riferimento dell’attività.

Ci sono tante altre esperienze interessante come la vita come l’eucaristia cioè fa presentare Dio nella vita quotidiana. Anche gli altri temi.

Era giorno speciale anche perché lei parte per Thailandia proprio al pomeriggio. La abbiamo salutato prima della partenza. Ha ancora la gioia di tornare in Thailandia. Si vede che è una persona amata alla missione.

Grazie Angela, ci vediamo in Thailandia. Ho detto a lei di ci incontriamo perché ho il desiderio di andare là. Dopo aver parlato, lei ci ha chiesto chi vorrebbe venire in Thailandia e subito la ho risposto, IO. Non lo so se mi capiterà. Comunque, ho questo desiderio come un missionario.



GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square
Wednesday, 21 October 2015
Family - 30. Fidelity to the promise of love

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
In the last meditation we reflected on the important promises that parents make to children, from when they are first thought of in love and conceived in the womb.

We could add that, upon closer examination, the entire family reality is founded on that promise. Consider this carefully: the family identity is founded on the promise. One could say that the family lives on the promise of love and fidelity that a man and a woman make to one another. This includes the commitment to welcome and raise their children; but it is also carried out in caring for elderly parents, in protecting and tending to the weakest members of the family, in helping each other develop their own qualities and accept their own limitations. The conjugal promise expands so as to share in the joys and sorrows of all fathers, mothers, children, with generous openness with regard to human coexistence and to the common good. A family that is closed in on itself is like a contradiction, a mortification of the promise that gave birth to it and enables it to live. Never forget: the identity of a family is always a promise that expands, and it expands to the whole family and also to all of humanity.

In our time, honouring fidelity to the promise of family life appears to be very much weakened. On the one hand, because a misunderstood right to seek one’s own satisfaction, at all costs and in any relationship, is exalted as a nonnegotiable principle of freedom. On the other hand, because the constraints of relational life and commitment for the common good are entrusted exclusively to the requirements of law. But in reality, no one wants to be loved only for their assets or by constraint. Love, as well as friendship, owe their strength and their beauty to this very fact: that they engender a bond without taking away freedom. Love is free, the promise of the family is free, and this is its beauty. Without freedom there is no friendship, without liberty there is no love, without free consent there is no marriage. Thus, liberty and fidelity do not oppose one another, but rather, they support each other, both in interpersonal and social relationships. Indeed, let us consider the damage they cause, in the culture of global communication, the escalation of unkept promises, in various fields, and the condonation of infidelity to the word given and to commitments undertaken!

Yes, dear brothers and sisters, fidelity is a promise of commitment that is self-fufilling, growing in free obedience to the word given. Fidelity is a form of trust that “wants” to be truly shared, and a hope that “wants” to be cultivated together. Speaking of fidelity it comes to mind what our elderly folk, our grandparents, tell us: ‘In those times, when one made an accord, a handshake was enough, because there was fidelity to promises made. And this too, which is a social fact, has its origin in the family, in a man or woman’s handshake, in order to go forward together, for their whole life.

Faithfulness to promises is a true masterpiece of humanity! If we look at its bold beauty, we are frightened, but if we disregard its courageous tenacity, we are lost. No relationship of love — no friendship, no form of loving, no happiness in the common good — reaches the height of our desire and of our hope, if this miracle does not come to dwell in the soul. I say “miracle” because the power and persuasion of fidelity, in spite of everything, do not end up enchanting us or astonishing us. Honouring the word given, fidelity to the promise, cannot be bought and sold. They cannot be compelled by force or shielded without sacrifice.

No other school can teach the truth of love, if the family does not do it. No law can impose the beauty and legacy of this treasure of human dignity, if the personal bond between love and procreation is not inscribed in our flesh.

Brothers and sisters, it is necessary to restore social honour to the fidelity of love: restore social honour to the fidelity of love! It is necessary to remove from concealment the daily miracle of millions of men and women who repristinate its foundation in the family, of which every society lives, without being able to guarantee it in any other way. It is no accident that this principle of fidelity to the promise of love and of life is written in God’s creation as a perennial blessing, to which the world is entrusted.

If St Paul could affirm that in the familial bond there is also mysteriously revealed a decisive truth for the bond of the Lord and the Church, meaning that the Church herself finds here a blessing to safeguard and from which to always learn, even before teaching it and regulating it. Our fidelity to the promise is always entrusted to the grace and mercy of God. Love for the human family, for better or for worse, is a point of honour for the Church! May God allow us to be worthy of this promise. Let us also pray for the Synod Fathers: may the Lord bless their work, performed with creative fidelity, with the confidence that He, first, the Lord — He first! — is faithful to his promises. Thank you.


Special greetings:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England, Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Canada and the United States of America. In a particular way I greet the participants in the meeting of the International Diaconate Center. God bless you all!
I address a cordial welcome to Italian-speaking faithful.

I exhort everyone in this month dedicated to missions to accompany with prayer and concrete help the missionary apostolate of the Church in the neediest countries.

I direct a special thought to young people, the sick and newlyweds. Tomorrow is the liturgical memorial of St John Paul II. Dear young people, may his life’s witness be an example for your journey; dear sick people, may you bear with joy the cross of suffering as he taught us through his example; and may you, dear newlyweds, seek his intercession so that love may never be lacking in your new family.



© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Powered by Blogger.