DAILY NEWS June 9, 2014 catholicnewsagency Facebook Twitter Pope prays for peace with Israeli and Palestinian presidents Vatican City, June 8 (CNA/EWTN News) .- Pope Francis welcomed the presidents of Israel and Palestine to the Vatican on Sunday evening for an unprecedented meeting of prayer, the “Invocation for Peace.” FULL STORY » Vatican Christianity meant to practiced not imagined, says Pope Pope Francis postpones meetings due to tiredness Italian officer: Being a policeman isnt a job, its a way of life Pope prays for peace with Israeli and Palestinian presidents Three faiths pray for Holy Land peace Reject mediocrity, Pope encourages young pilgrims Holy Spirit enlivens Church, preaches Pope on Pentecost Pope encourages athletes to play for the Church Pope Francis accepts invitation to visit Mexico Pope encourages crime experts to humanize justice Salvo DAcquisto: the Popes example of virtue in policemen US Cleveland diocese ends annulment fees Recalling D-Day, 70 Years Ago Europe Opus Dei prelate beatification expected to draw 100,000 attendees Irish archbishop welcomes investigation of child burials Middle East - Africa Central African Republic still seeking peace amid violent attacks Vatican Christianity meant to practiced not imagined, says Pope VATICAN CITY, June 9 (CNA/EWTN News) .- Pope Francis centered his daily homily on the Beatitudes, stating that they are Jesus’ practical guide on how to live the Christian life, which often goes against what the world tells us. The beatitudes are a “program,” the “identity card of a Christian,” the Pope explained in his June 9 daily Mass, adding that they are “few words, simple words, but practical for all.” “Because Christianity is a practical religion: it is not just to be imagined, it is to be practiced.” Addressing those present in the Vatican’s Saint Martha guesthouse, the Roman Pontiff focused his words on each of the beatitudes taken from the fifth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, beginning with “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Wealth, he observed, gives us no true certainty, but rather suffocates the need for God and his Word, because the heart that is rich and self-satisfied has no room for them. “Blessed are they who mourn for they will be comforted…The world tells us that happiness, joy and entertainment are the best things in life,” the pontiff continued, but “it looks the other way when there are problems of disease or pain in the family.” Explaining how the world often “covers up” suffering because it prefers to “ignore painful situations,” the Bishop of Rome noted that “Only the person who sees things as they are, and whose heart mourns, will be happy and will be comforted. Thanks to the consolation of Jesus, not to that of the world.” “Blessed are the meek in this world which is filled with wars, arguments, hatred. And Jesus says: no war, no hatred. Peace and meekness,” he went on, observing that often “if you are meek in life, people will think you are not clever.” “But you are meek because with this meekness you will inherit the Earth.” Moving onto the beatitude of those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” Pope Francis pointed out how easy it is to become corrupt and to take on the attitude of “everything is business.” Lamenting the many injustices that are created on account of this mentality, the Pope stated that “Blessed are they who fight against injustice” and “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.” The merciful are “those who forgive and understand the mistakes of others,” he noted, adding that Jesus does not tell us “blessed are they who seek revenge.” “Blessed are they who forgive, who are merciful. Because we are all part of an army of people who have been forgiven! We have all been forgiven. That is why blessed is he who undertakes this path of forgiveness.” Going on, the Roman Pontiff drew attention to the beatitude “blessed are the pure of heart,” those who “have a simple, pure heart without dirt, a heart that knows how to love with purity.” “Blessed are peace-makers,” he said, lamenting that “it is so common amongst us to be war-makers or perpetrators of misunderstandings!” “When I hear something from one person, and I go and say it to someone else in a second, enlarged, edition,” this is “the world of gossip,” the Pope observed, explaining that “people who gossip, who do not make peace, are enemies of peace. They are not blessed.” Turning to the beatitude of those that are “persecuted for the sake of righteousness,” the Bishop of Rome called to mind the many who have been and who “continue to be persecuted simply for having fought for justice.” All the beatitudes together, he explained, signify “a program for life offered to us by Jesus,” a program that is “so simple and yet so difficult.” Concluding his homily, Pope Francis told those present that “if you have some time at home today, take the Gospel, Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 5. At the beginning there are the Beatitudes; in Chapter 25 the rest.” “It will do you good to read them once, twice, three times,” he said, “read this program for holiness. May the Lord give us the grace to understand his message.” Following his Mass, Pope Francis met with Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, and then canceled his appointments for the rest of the morning due to tiredness following last night’s invocation for peace with the Israeli and Palestinian presidents. back to top I comment on this story I archive Pope Francis postpones meetings due to tiredness VATICAN CITY, June 9 (CNA/EWTN News) .- Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi S.J. has announced that Pope Francis canceled his meetings today in order to rest following prayer for peace in the Vatican gardens last evening. “Pope Francis canceled the meetings of the second part of the morning because of a minor indisposition,” the spokesman told journalists in a June 9 press conference, noting that “yesterday the Pope was very tired because of the prayer for peace in the Middle East.” Fr. Lombardi revealed that the Pope celebrated Mass in the Saint Martha guesthouse at 7 a.m. as usual, and afterward met with Australian Cardinal George Pell, prefect for the Secretariat of the Economy. However, his meeting with the Italian Superior Council of the Magistracy, the largest Italian governmental body, will be re-scheduled for a later date in order to allow the pontiff to rest. Last night’s prayer in the Vatican between Pope Francis, the presidents of Israel and Palestine, and the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, was proposed by the Roman Pontiff during his visit to the Holy Land last month. Joining together in the Vatican gardens for the unprecedented “Invocation for Peace,” the three leaders prayed in English, Italian, Hebrew and Arabic, and each offered their own words expressing the desire of their people for peace. “This meeting of prayer for peace in the Holy Land, in the Middle East and in the entire world is accompanied by the prayers of countless people of different cultures, nations, languages and religions,” Pope Francis noted during the event, “they have prayed for this meeting and even now they are united with us in the same supplication.” “It is a meeting which responds to the fervent desire of all who long for peace and dream of a world in which men and women can live as brothers and sisters and no longer as adversaries and enemies.” “Peacemaking calls for courage, much more so than warfare,” the pontiff remarked, encouraging those in attendance to “break the spiral of hatred and violence” with the word “brother.” back to top I comment on this story I archive Italian officer: Being a policeman isnt a job, its a way of life VATICAN CITY, June 8 (CNA/EWTN News) .- During an audience with Pope Francis and the policeman of Italy, a young officer explained that his job is in fact a lifestyle of service, in which he is constantly attentive to the needs of others. Speaking with CNA, Matteo Gianerelli said that he decided to be a policeman “because my father was. He is an example for me, so I want to follow him in this job, which is not a job but a way of life.” Gianerelli was present during a June 6 audience with Pope Francis and the Italian police force, the carabinieri, held in honor of the 200th anniversary of their founding. Being a police officer means “to help people, the people that need my help” Gianerelli observed, adding that he wants “to make things good for everyone. So this is what I want to do.” “To strive to help the people, because in this job we help the people that are in need, that ask for help. And this is a great thing. This makes me happy” he said, explaining that “I do this job not for the money, but to help people.” Reflecting on the significance of having an audience with Pope Francis, the officer explained that “I like it, I like his words.” “He’s a great Pope, a great one,” he added. In his address to the carabinieri Pope Francis thanked the officers for their service, explained that there is a strong bond of “bond of solidarity, trust and dedication to the common good” between them and the history of Italy. Explaining to the officers gathered that “your vocation is service,” the Pope observed that their specific mission “is expressed in service to others and commits you to correspond every day to the confidence and esteem that the people place in you.” “This,” he said, “requires constant availability, patience, a spirit of sacrifice and sense of duty.” In wake of the long tradition of their 200 years of existence, the Pope stated that it is still “continued with serenity and generosity in your service, bearing witness to the ideals that animate you and your families, who are always at your side.” Pope Francis also used the audience as an occasion to announce that on Sept. 13 of this year he will travel to the military shrine of Redipuglia, located in the northeastern Italian province of Gorizia, “to pray for the fallen from all wars.” The occasion for the visit, he revealed, is the hundred-year anniversary of “the beginning of that enormous tragedy that was the First World War, of which I have heard so many painful stories from the lips of my grandfather.” Containing the remains of more than 100,000 veterans, the Shrine of Redipuglia is the largest military shrine in Italy and sits directly across from what used to be the graveyard from which remains were taken. Made of a large stone staircase, the shrine’s construction first began in 1935 and was completed three years later, being inaugurated in September 1938. back to top I comment on this story I archive Pope prays for peace with Israeli and Palestinian presidents VATICAN CITY, June 8 (CNA/EWTN News) .- Pope Francis welcomed the presidents of Israel and Palestine to the Vatican on Sunday evening for an unprecedented meeting of prayer, the “Invocation for Peace.” Joined by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, the three leaders prayed for peace in the Holy Land and throughout the Middle East. “I am profoundly grateful to you for accepting my invitation to come here and to join in imploring from God the gift of peace. It is my hope that this meeting will mark the beginning of a new journey where we seek the things that unite, so as to overcome the things that divide,” said Pope Francis on June 8 in the Vatican gardens. The Pope had issued the invitations on his recent trip to the Holy Land in late May. The presidents quickly accepted the invitation. Presidents Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas arrived separately to meet with Pope Francis individually in the Casa Santa Marta guesthouse. The three eventually met and were joined by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, before proceeding to the Vatican gardens for an “Invocation for Peace.” The evening’s prayer was divided into three parts, following the chronological ordering of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religious communities. Prayers were offered in Hebrew, English, Italian, and Arabic, praising God for creation, asking pardon for sin, and requesting the gift of peace. Selections included several psalms, a prayer from the Jewish Day of Atonement service, a prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, and several Islamic prayers. After the prayers, Pope Francis, Israeli President Shimon Peres, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas each spoke briefly about the need for peace. “This meeting of prayer for peace in the Holy Land, in the Middle East and in the entire world is accompanied by the prayers of countless people of different cultures, nations, languages and religions: they have prayed for this meeting and even now they are united with us in the same supplication,” said Pope Francis. “It is a meeting which responds to the fervent desire of all who long for peace and dream of a world in which men and women can live as brothers and sisters and no longer as adversaries and enemies.” The pontiff then cautioned that “peacemaking calls for courage, much more so than warfare.” History reveals that peace cannot come merely through human strength, noted the Pope. “That is why we are here, because we know and we believe that we need the help of God. We do not renounce our responsibilities, but we do call upon God in an act of supreme responsibility before our consciences and before our peoples.” Pope Francis encouraged those present to “break the spiral of hatred and violence” with the word “brother.” We must “lift our eyes to heaven and acknowledge one another as children of one Father,” he said. Israeli President Shimon Peres then made a heart-felt appeal for peace, saying “I come to call for peace between nations.” He, too, acknowledged that “peace does not come easy.” Even if peace “seems distant,” the Israeli president continued, “we must pursue it to bring it close.” “We are commanded to pursue peace,” he emphasized. Peres expressed his belief that “if we pursue peace with determination, with faith, we will reach it.” He recalled that in his life, he had seen both peace and warfare. He would never forget the devastation caused by war. “We owe it to our children,” to seek peace, stressed Peres. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke in the words of a prayer, beseeching the Lord “on behalf of my people, the people of Palestine - Muslims, Christians, and Samaritans - who are craving for a just peace, dignified living, and liberty.” “Grant, O Lord, our region and its people security, safety and stability. Save our blessed city Jerusalem; the first Kiblah, the second Holy mosque, the third of the two Holy Mosques, and the city of blessings and peace with all that surround it,” Abbas prayed. The Muslim political leader affirmed, “reconciliation and peace, O Lord, are our goal.” He prayed that God would “make Palestine and Jerusalem in particular a secure land for all the believers, and a place for prayer and worship for the followers of the three monotheistic religions Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and for all those wishing to visit it as is stated in the Holy Koran.” The evening closed with a handshake of peace amongst the leaders, and the planting of an olive tree, symbolic of the desire for peace on behalf of each of the religious communities.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Jun 2014 23:43:56 +0000
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