The Holy Father’s Message - 2023 World Day of Peace.December 21, 2023 - Zenit
“Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (First Letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians, 5:1-2).
1. With these words, the Apostle Paul encouraged the Thessalonian community to remain steadfast, their hearts and feet firmly planted and their gaze fixed on the world around them and the events of history, even as they awaited the Lord’s return. When tragic events seem to overwhelm our lives, and we feel plunged into a dark and difficult maelstrom of injustice and suffering, we are likewise called to keep our hearts open to hope and to trust in God, who makes himself present, accompanies us with tenderness, sustains us in our weariness and, above all, guides our path... Read the full statement
Pope's prayer intention for OctoberMissionary disciples
We pray that every baptized person may be engaged in evangelization, available to the mission, by being witnesses of a life that has the flavour of the Gospel. At work, with your family, with your friends, when you meet someone by chance… Any moment is suitable for being a missionary disciple. “If Christ moves you, if you do things because Christ is guiding you,” your testimony of life will make others ask, “What is the source of the love with which this person treats everyone—the kindness and good humor?”
Pope and ecumenical leaders: Caring for God’s creation requires commitmentSeptember 12, 2021 - Vatican News
“For more than a year, we have all experienced the devastating effects of a global pandemic—all of us, whether poor or wealthy, weak or strong. Some were more protected or vulnerable than others, but the rapidly-spreading infection meant that we have depended on each other in our efforts to stay safe.”
These observations begin the “Joint Message for the Protection of Creation” issued on 1 September by Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, and Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury. The religious leaders note that in facing this worldwide calamity, “no one is safe until everyone is safe,” because “our actions really do affect one another,” and “what we do today affects what happens tomorrow.” ....Learn More Scientists who declared climate emergency two years ago say Earth’s vital signs have worsenedSeptember 6, 2021 - The Independent
Almost two years ago, 11,000 scientists in 153 countries came together to declare that the world is facing a climate emergency. Now, the research team behind the declaration warn that Earth’s “vital signs” have continued to deteriorate.
Read more... Today starts the Season of CreationSeptember 1, 2021 - Laudato Si' Movement
Happy Season of Creation! We join Christians worldwide in this special time to pray and act for creation. Let us all find ways to renew our commitment to care for our planet and each other. In this posting from Laudato Si' Movement are a few ways that you can start your Season of Creation journey. They will send weekly postings with more ways to live out this special time of the year through prayer, action, and advocacy. Pope's Prayer Intention for March 2021
Reflection:
Reconciliation has cleansed me dozens of times, but it has resurrected a significant relationship: the one with my father. ...Read more Pope's Prayer Intention for February 2021
Women. Suffering. Violence. Too often, we see these three words together in the news. As if this weren’t enough, the pandemic has caused an increase in abuse. Read more...
Pope's Prayer Intention for January 2021
The holidays are a time for travel and celebration. Perhaps that means Christmas dinner at grandma’s house or a party […] READ MORE
Pope’s Message for 54th World Day of PeaceHere is the text of Pope Francis’ message for the World Day of Peace, which is celebrated, January 1, 2021, on the theme: “A Culture of Care as a Path to Peace.”
READ THE MESSAGE HERE Pope's Prayer Intention for December
Pope's Prayer Intention for November
The rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers many opportunities, but it also poses many dangers. There are so many ways in which we could use AI for social good, but over the last few years it has become apparent that there are potentially a lot of unintended consequences. ....Read more
Pope Urges Action on Climate Change in TED Talk
October 17, 2020
Pope Francis on Saturday, October 10, 2020, renewed his appeal for the world to act on the issue of climate change.
Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter ‘Fratelli Tutti’ on Human Fraternity and Social Friendship
October 5, 2020
Pope Francis’ third Encyclical Letter “Fratelli tutti’ on Fraternity and Social Friendship, was published today, Oct. 4, 2020, on the occasion of the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.
This Encyclical was inspired by St. Francis, like the Pontiff’s second Encyclical Laudato Si, on the Care of Our Common Home, marking the first Encyclical of a Catholic Pope on ecology. The “Social Encyclical,” as the Pontiff describes it, borrows the title of the “Admonitions” of Saint Francis of Assisi, who used these words to “address his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavor of the Gospel.”` 10 Things to Know about the encyclical The Full Encyclical "Fratelli tutti" Pope's prayer intention for OctoberThe Laity’s Mission in the Church
We pray that by the virtue of baptism, the laity, especially women, may participate more in areas of responsibility in the Church. 
Reflection:
A busy, Sunday morning at our North London parish. A request between Masses. “Please give me permission, Father, to do this certain thing (exactly what must remain private) if the church allows it.” Another parishioner, known as a forthright character, chided the questioner: “What do you mean, if the church allows it! The church is all of us.” ...Read More Pope's prayer intention for SeptemberRespect for the Planet’s Resources
We pray that the planet’s resources will not be plundered, but shared in a just and respectful manner. “We need to grow in the conviction that a decrease in the pace of production and consumption can at times give rise to another form of progress and development.”
Read more... Pope's prayer intention for AugustThe Maritime World
We pray for all those who work and live from the sea, among them sailors, fishermen and their families. Our society depends, probably more than many of us imagine, on the hard work of maritime workers and their families who have to face not only the dangers of nature—storms, hurricanes, etc.—but also human threats, such as piracy. Pope Francis summarizes very clearly the importance of the work of sailors and fishermen: “Without the people of the sea, many parts of the world would starve.”
Pope's prayer intention for JulyOur Families
We pray that today’s families may be accompanied with love, respect and guidance, and that they may be protected by the state. Almighty and all Loving God, in the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph you give us a model and example of family life. In return we commend our families and our households to your holy guidance. Read more... The often-frenetic rhythm of life that we follow is detrimental to our family life. This is an important problem, because no one—neither we as individuals nor society as a whole—can do without families. This is truer now than ever during the time of crisis that we are living. As Pope Francis says, “families are not a problem, they are first and foremost an opportunity.”
Pope ‘updates’ ‘Laudato si” five years on: “All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of Creation”June 9, 2020 - Novena
Five years on from its publication, Pope Francis has ‘updated’ his encyclical Laudato si’ on care for our Common Home, issuing a series of tweets to explain the heart of the Church’s vision of integral ecology. Here is a link to see some of these changes.
Father, here I am.
I know you are always with me. I place my heart in the Heart of your Son Jesus, who gives himself to us in the Eucharist each day. May your Holy Spirit strengthen me to live the Gospel in everything I do and say. For my part I give you this day–all my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings–all I am and possess. With Mary, mother of the Church, I pray for the mission of the Church, for all Apostles of Prayer, and for the intentions of the Pope this month. Amen.
Five years ago, Pope Francis shared his encyclical, Laudato Si’: On care for our common home, with the world. With the unprecedented global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the encyclical has taken on ever greater significance. It is a blueprint for the change needed to create a fairer, greener world for all people and creatures to live in with dignity.
Celebrate Laudato Si’ with us Let’s celebrate Laudato Si’ together and reaffirm our commitment to caring for our common home. Here’s how you can join us over the coming days: See the activities + Learn more Pope's Prayer Intention for May
Pope's Prayer Intention for April
China is the largest country by population in the world with 1.4 billion people. The percentage of Catholics is less than 0.1%. Living under strict restriction with little religious freedom, however, the Catholic community has shown incredible perseverance and vitality,... READ MORE
Pope's Prayer Intention for February
Monthly Reflection:
Knock knock “Who’s there?” This is a familiar format for a children’s riddle. You knock, I ask, you reply. It’s […Read More]
Pope's Prayer Intention for January
January Reflection by Fr. William Blazek – Promotion of World Peace
Father Blazek SJ–December 30, 2019. This month we are praying that the gift Jesus promised us will spread over all the world. The Holy Father […READ MORE] Pope vents frustration over lack of political will to implement ‘Laudato Si’
December 7, 2019 - CRUX - Elise Harris
A man carries a sign during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Interfaith Peace Walk Jan. 18 in the Upper West Side neighborhood of New York City. The theme of this year's event was "Hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor," from Pope Francis's encyclical "Laudato Si'." (Credit: CNS.)
"....Running Dec. 2-13, the summit, known as COP25, was intended to be a venue in which the U.N. identifies concrete strategies for the implementation of the so-called Paris Agreement of 2015, which provided a framework of climate action adopted in hopes of reducing greenhouse gas emissions enough to keep global temperatures from rising to a perilous degree.
Yet according to studies conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, things are getting worse. Global temperatures and emissions, the study found, are still rising, making it difficult - if not impossible - to fulfill the goals of the Paris Agreement by 2020..." READ THE ARTICLE Pope's Prayer Intention for December
December Reflection
by Fr. Henry Shea – The Future of the Very Young Shortly after my ordination I was missioned by the Jesuits to England for doctoral studies. There are few British winter traditions more famous than the service of Lessons and Carols held on Christmas Eve at Kings College Cambridge and broadcast throughout the country on the BBC. Since 1919 the choir at Kings College has opened this service with the same hymn, “Once in Royal David’s City,” the simple lyrics of which speak to the profound paradox of the mystery of Christmas. “He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all. / And his shelter was a stable, and His cradle was a stall. / With the poor, and mean, and lowly, lived on earth our Savior holy.” .......READ MORE Efforts to protect life include promoting disarmament, Pope Francis saysNovember 18, 2019 - Catholic Register - by Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY -- A commitment to defending and protecting human life requires a commitment to ending wars and to promoting nuclear disarmament, Pope Francis said.
"Using nuclear weapons is immoral," the pope said in a video message released Nov. 18. The video was a greeting to the people of Japan in advance of the pope's arrival there Nov. 23. "The theme chosen for my visit is 'Protect All Life,'" the pope said in the video. The bishops of Japan chose the theme from the prayer Pope Francis wrote to conclude his encyclical "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home." .....READ MORE Pope's Prayer Intention for NovemberNovember 2, 2019
Dialogue and Reconciliation in the Near East
That a spirit of dialogue, encounter, and reconciliation emerge in the Near East, where diverse religious communities share their lives together. Reflection: Far too many wars, political divisions, conflicts and hostilities between the diverse religious communities within the Near East have left… Read More....
Pope's Prayer Intention for OctoberOctober 1, 2019
A Missionary “Spring” in the Church
That the breath of the Holy Spirit engender a new missionary “spring” in the church Extended Video Edition of the September Prayer - protecting our oceansSeptember 29, 2019
It highlights the beauty of the oceans and Pope Francis expands his thoughts and communicates the need for their protection. (Video: 3:53 min.)
Pope's Video Message to UN Climate Action Summit, 2019
September 26, 2019
Pope Francis’ Message for World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation
September 2, 2019 - Zenit
The pope said that the Season of Creation is “a period of more intense prayer and action for the benefit of the common home,” and he encouraged us to “feel in deep harmony with the men and women of goodwill” who are protecting creation.
“And God saw that it was good” (Gen 1:25). God’s gaze, at the beginning of the Bible, rests lovingly on his creation. From habitable land to life-giving waters, from fruit-bearing trees to animals that share our common home, everything is dear in the eyes of God, who offers creation to men and women as a precious gift to be preserved ....MORE
One way to explain the importance of taking care of the oceans is to use a couple of simple but effective examples: one out of every two people lives off of the ocean, and of every two breaths we take, one is thanks to the oceans. Let us take care of them. Their death is the death of all life on earth, including us.
Reflection by Fr. Peter Schineller – Photos from the space station show planet earth as a beautiful blue marble with two-thirds of it covered by water. But here on earth, it is not so beautiful. We hear stories and see pictures of destruction. Ocean plastics kill millions of marine animals each year. Whales die with stomachs filled with plastic refuse.... READ MORE.....
August Reflection by Fr. Edmund Lo – Families, Schools of Human Growth
Guest Author–July 29, 2019 Let us first look at the Holy Family for inspirations. While the Holy Family may seem like an unreachable ideal .... READ MORE
July Reflection by Fr. Joseph Koterski – The Integrity of Justice Guest Author
No society can live peacefully without the rule of law. In the attempt to restrain the abuses that have often prevailed in human history, we have developed forms of governance in which there is a division of powers. Read the Reflection Pope's prayer intention for June
Pope’s Message for 2019 World Day of Migrants and Refugees
May 27, 2019 - Zenit © Vatican Media
"The most economically advanced societies are witnessing a growing trend towards extreme individualism which, combined with a utilitarian mentality and reinforced by the media, is producing a “globalization of indifference”. In this scenario, migrants, refugees, displaced persons and victims of trafficking have become emblems of exclusion. In addition to the hardships that their condition entails, they are often looked down upon and considered the source of all society’s ills. That attitude is an alarm bell warning of the moral decline we will face if we continue to give ground to the throw-away culture. In fact, if it continues, anyone who does not fall within the accepted norms of physical, mental and social well-being is at risk of marginalization and exclusion." - Pope Francis
Read his full message Pope: Mining for the Common GoodMay 5, 2019 - Vatican News, Robin Gomes
Pope alongside Cardinal Turkson at the Congress on mining, May 3, 2019 at the Vatican.
Pope Francis on Friday denounced a voracious economic model that is profit-oriented, shortsighted, and based on the misconception of unlimited economic growth, saying its impacts are disastrous on the natural world and in the lives of people.
“We need to see that what is at stake is our own dignity,” he told some 60 participants in a Vatican meeting on the theme, “Mining for the Common Good”, promoted by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Mining and indigenous communities Pope Francis urged that mining, like all economic activities, should be at the service of the entire human community, and should involve local communities in every phase of mining projects. In this regard, he urged special care for indigenous communities and their cultural traditions, saying they are a vulnerable minority who should be the principal dialogue partners, especially in large projects affecting their land. READ MORE Pope's Prayer Intention for May
Pope's Prayer Intention for April
Pope's Prayer Intention for March
Prayer of the month
O Lord Jesus Christ, we confess you as the Way, the Truth, and the Life! We rejoice in this profession of our saving faith and ask you to keep us always aware of what a great gift it is. We know, O Lord, that in imitation of you, many of our brothers and sisters, ancestors in the faith, died for their profession of this faith in you. Teach us, like them, to value our union with you, our trust in you, our love for you more than any earthly treasure.....more Reflection for the month by Fr. Andrij M. Hlabse – Recognition of the Right of Christian Communities.
Pope's Prayer Intention for JanuaryYoung People and the Example of Mary
That young people, especially in Latin America, follow the example of Mary and respond to the call of the Lord to communicate the joy of the Gospel to the world.
POPE FRANCIS’ NEW YEAR MESSAGE FOR THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE 2019Portions of his January 1, 2019 message read:
Good politics is at the service of peace “Politics is an essential means of building human community and institutions, but when political life is not seen as a form of service to society as a whole, it can become a means of oppression, marginalization and even destruction.” (2) “Peace, in effect, is the fruit of a great political project grounded in the mutual responsibility and interdependence of human beings. But it is also a challenge that demands to be taken up ever anew. It entails a conversion of heart and soul; it is both interior and communal; and it has three inseparable aspects:
Pope's Prayer Intention for DecemberEvangelization: In the Service of the Transmission of Faith
That people, who are involved in the service and transmission of faith, may find, in their dialogue with culture, a language suited to the conditions of the present time. In 2018's last Pope Video, pontiff asks us to pray for all those involved in communicating and serving the faith.
Read additional commentary here Where do we Hear the Cry of the Poor?November 27, 2018 - Zenit Photo: Vatican Media
“The cry of the poor: it is the stifled cry of the unborn, of starving children, of young people more used to the explosion of bombs than happy shouts of the playground. It is the cry of the elderly, cast off and abandoned to themselves. It is the cry of all those who face the storms of life without the presence of a friend. It is the cry of all those forced to flee their homes and native land for an uncertain future. It is the cry of entire peoples, deprived even of the great natural resources at their disposal. It is the cry of every Lazarus who weeps while the wealthy few feast on what, in justice, belongs to all. Injustice is the perverse root of poverty. The cry of the poor daily grows louder but is heard less and less. Every day that cry gets louder, but every day heard less, drowned out by the din of the rich few, who grow ever fewer and more rich.” READ MORE
Pope Francis: "Using the name of God to justify the path of violence and hatred is blasphemy"November 21, 2018 - Aleteia
I want to reaffirm strongly that the path of violence and hatred does not solve the problems of humanity, and using the name of God to justify this path is blasphemy. See Aleteia
Pope's Prayer Intention for NovemberUniversal: In the Service of Peace
That the language of love and dialogue may always prevail over the language of conflict. Pope Francis adds: "Let us commit ourselves with prayer and action to distance our hearts, our words and our deeds from all violence in order to take care of our common home."
Pope's Prayer Intention for OctoberEvangelization: The Mission of Religious
That consecrated religious men and women may bestir themselves, and be present among the poor, the marginalized, and those who have no voice. Oeconomicae et pecuniariae quaestionesOctober 2, 2018 - Vatican
(Economic and financial questions) by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development “‘Oeconomicae et pecuniariae quaestiones’. Considerations for an ethical discernment regarding some aspects of the present economic-financial system” of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, 17.05.2018. Download Pope Francis calls for care of creation
September 3, 2018
Message for the 4th Annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation Pope Francis called for humanity to take better care of “our common home” in his message for the 4th Annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, September 2, 2018. “On this Day of Prayer, I wish first to thank the Lord for the gift of our common home and for all those men and women of good will committed to protecting it,” the Holy Father said. “I am likewise grateful for the many projects aimed at promoting the study and the safeguarding of ecosystems, for the efforts being made to develop more sustainable agriculture and more responsible nutrition, and for the various educational, spiritual and liturgical initiatives that involve Christians throughout the world in the care of creation.”
The “SAVING OUR COMMON HOME AND THE FUTURE OF LIFE ON EARTH” conference at the Vatican on the occasion of the third anniversary of the
encyclical, Laudato Si’ on July 5-6 (the documents, presentations, and the live stream recordings are available at //http://laudato-si-conference.com/). In the letter to the participants of the conference, the Pope Francis said, “We can think back to the call that Francis of Assisi received from the Lord in the little church of San Damiano: ‘Go and repair my house, which, as you can see, lies in ruins.’ Today, the common home of our planet also needs urgently to be repaired and secured for a sustainable future.” The Pope’s words imply that the initiative of the encyclical came from the experience of St. Francis and that this Franciscan experience should be reinterpreted in the ecological perspective in the 21st century. I believe that Laudato Si’ is the Franciscan Source of the 21st century because it changed the hearts and minds of so many people just like the original Franciscan Sources did several centuries ago. For example, the encyclical gave a tremendous inspiration worldwide especially to the delegates at the COP21, Paris, and its historical outcome, the Paris Agreement. And that’s why the International Council of JPIC 2016 has decided to take it up as the main source for the JPIC animation in the Order. (emphasis added) READ MORE at CONTACT Bulletin Impressive statement for us as Secular Franciscans and to consider study of this important document in our fraternities. - FVC
Video Recaps Vatican Conference on our Common HomeJuly 18, 2018 - Zenit
(Pope Francis) expressed his hope “that concern for the state of our common home will translate into systematic and concerted efforts aimed at an integral ecology.”
“May Saint Francis of Assisi,” the Holy Father prayed, “continue to inspire and guide us on this journey, and may our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope.” “After all,” the Pope underscored, “that hope is based on our faith in the power of our heavenly Father.” .....READ MORE Card Parolin: ‘Everything, for Pope Francis, is interconnected'
Pope's Prayer Intention for July
Pope Francis shares a meal with poor people at a soup kitchen (@L'Osservatore Romano)
Pope Francis says Christians are urgently called to manifest their faith by giving “a sign of neighbourliness and relief in the face of the many forms of poverty” that afflict our world, and at the same time honour them “who are the real presence of Jesus in our midst”.
The theme chosen for this year’s message is “This poor man cried and the Lord heard him”....the roots of poverty saying it is not brought on by itself, “but is caused by selfishness, pride, greed and injustice”.
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“Like Saint Francis of Assisi, let us be transformed by the love of Christ in order to live in simplicity and joy,” Pope Francis Tweeted on October 4, 2017.
René Descartes’ statement:
“I think therefore I am" implies a cause-effect relationship. But my thinking is not what gives me life. It does not explain why I exist. “I am truly a 'new creation' (Gal 6:15): I am loved, therefore I exist.” Pope Francis, 2016, Misericordia et misera, 16 Poverty
“We are not Princes, sons of Princes, of Counts or Barons; we are simple people of the people. Therefore,” Francis added, “we come close, with simplicity, to those who suffer most: the sick, the children, the abandoned elderly, the poor … all. And this poverty is at the center of the Gospel: it is the poverty of Jesus, which is not sociological poverty.” Pope Francis, Zenit Feb 20, 2017. |
