Toute l’histoire du salut est l’histoire de Dieu qui cherche l’homme

"Toute l’histoire du salut est l’histoire de Dieu qui cherche l’homme: il lui offre son amour, l’accueille avec tendresse."

Pape François (@Pontifex_fr)

Tutta la storia della salvezza è la storia di Dio che cerca l’uomo

"Tutta la storia della salvezza è la storia di Dio che cerca l’uomo: gli offre il suo amore, lo accoglie con tenerezza."

Papa Francesco (@Pontifex_it)

Dignidade do trabalho e do trabalhador

“A história marcou a fogo no nosso povo o sentido da dignidade do trabalho e do trabalhador. Existe algo mais humilhante do que a condenação a não poder ganhar o pão? Existe forma pior de decretar a inutilidade e inexistência de um ser humano? Pode uma sociedade, que aceita tamanha iniquidade, escudando-se em considerações técnicas abstractas, ser caminho para a realização do ser humano?”

Papa Francisco, 2002

Liberté, égalité, fraternité

Lors de la traditionnelle messe pour la France célébrée mercredi matin en la basilique Saint-Pierre de Rome à l’occasion de la fête de sainte Pétronille, le cardinal Ricard, archevêque de Bordeaux, a rappelé devant l’ambassadeur de France près le Saint-Siège, qu’il était important d’être fidèle aux « valeurs de la République » que sont la liberté, l’égalité et la fraternité.

« Nous vivons aujourd’hui à une époque, a souligné le cardinal Ricard dans son homélie, où un certain nombre de nos contemporains doutent que la fidélité soit possible ». Certains se demandent ainsi, « dans un univers relativiste », si l’on peut « rester au long des années fidèle à une personne dans le couple, à une cause, à des idées », a-t-il relevé, tandis que « certains même vont plus loin et suspectent la fidélité d’être une entrave à la liberté ».L’archevêque de Bordeaux a soutenu que la fidélité était possible parce qu’elle était « un don de Dieu ». Il a assuré qu'elle était « une œuvre créatrice », expliquant que « loin d’être une nostalgie paralysante qui nous rendrait prisonniers du passé », elle « se vit dans le présent et nous tourne vers l’avenir ».

(http://www.news.va/fr/news/cardinal-ricard-etre-fidele-aux-valeurs-de-la-repu)

Friends of God (93) - Peace and happiness to all men

Christians are ordinary people, but their hearts overflow with the joy that comes when we set out to fulfil, with the constant help of grace, the will of the Father. Christians don't see themselves as victims, underrated, or restricted in their behaviour. They walk head on high, because they are men and children of God.

Christians should be second to none as human beings. Those who follow Christ are able (not by their own merit but by the grace of God) to communicate to those around them what they at times suspect but cannot quite grasp: that true happiness, a genuine spirit of serving our neighbour, can only come by passing through the Heart of our Redeemer, perfectus Deus, perfectus homo.

Let us turn to Mary, our Mother, and the most excellent creature ever fashioned by God's hands. Let us ask her to make us humanly good so that our human virtues, woven into the life of grace, may become our best way of helping those who, with us, are working in the world to bring peace and happiness to all men.

St. Josemaría Escrivá

Friends of God (92) - Sadness is the end product of selfishness

"Sadness is the end product of selfishness. If we truly want to live for God, we will never lack cheerfulness, even when we discover our errors and wretchedness. Cheerfulness finds its way into our life of prayer, so much so that we cannot help singing for joy. For we are in love, and singing is a thing that lovers do."

St. Josemaría Escrivá

Love story

"Every time we give in to selfishness and say “No” to God, we spoil his loving plan for us."

Pope Francis (@Pontifex)

História de amor

"Cada vez que seguimos o nosso egoísmo e dizemos não a Deus, arruinamos a sua história de amor conosco."

Papa Francisco (‏@Pontifex_pt)

Historia de amor

"Cada vez que somos egoístas y decimos no a Dios, arruinamos su historia de amor con nosotros."

Papa Francisco (@Pontifex_es)

Storia di amore

"Ogni volta che seguiamo il nostro egoismo e diciamo no a Dio, roviniamo la sua storia di amore con noi."

Papa Francesco (@Pontifex_it)

Histoire d’amour

"Chaque fois que nous suivons notre égoïsme et disons non à Dieu, nous détériorons son histoire d’amour avec nous."

Pape François (@Pontifex_fr)

God is love

God is not something vague, abstract. He has a name: 'God is love.'

Pope Francis, today, 26 May 2013

(http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pope:-the-Trinity,-the-face-with-which-God-revealed-himself-as-love-28023.html)

China Catholics mark Prayer Day at Shanghai shrine

Catholic laymen carry the statue of Our Lady of Sheshan in the procession on May 24

Around 2,000 Chinese pilgrims gathered at China’s largest Catholic shrine this morning to observe the feast of Our Lady of Sheshan and the World Prayer Day for the Church in China.

Pope Francis on Wednesday encouraged Catholics across the globe to join in the World Day of Prayer, which was first declared by his predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in 2007.

(http://www.ucanews.com/news/china-catholics-mark-prayer-day-at-shanghai-shrine/68342)

Heaven for atheists? Pope sparks debate

"American atheists welcomed Pope Francis’ comments that God redeems nonbelievers, saying that the new pontiff's historic outreach is helping to topple longstanding barriers.

“The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone,” the pope told worshipers at morning Mass on Wednesday. “‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!”

Francis continued, “We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”

Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association, said that although he has been skeptical of Francis' outreach to the nonreligious, he welcomed Wednesday’s comments.

“I gather from this statement that his view of the world's religious and philosophical diversity is expanding,” Speckhardt said. “While humanists have been saying for years that one can be good without a god, hearing this from the leader of the Catholic Church is quite heartening."

He continued, “If other religious leaders join him, it could do much to reduce the automatic distrust and discrimination that atheists, humanists, and other nontheists so regularly face. “

Francis’ comments received a great deal of attention on social media, with a number of people asking whether the Catholic leader believes that atheists and agnostics go to heaven, too.

On Thursday, the Vatican issued an “explanatory note on the meaning to ‘salvation.'"

The Rev. Thomas Rosica, a Vatican spokesman, said that people who aware of the Catholic church “cannot be saved” if they “refuse to enter her or remain in her.”

At the same time, Rosica writes, “every man or woman, whatever their situation, can be saved. Even non-Christians can respond to this saving action of the Spirit. No person is excluded from salvation simply because of so-called original sin.”

Rosica also said that Francis had “no intention of provoking a theological debate on the nature of salvation,” during his homily on Wednesday.

Although the pope's comments about salvation surprised some, bishops and experts in Catholicism say Francis was expressing a core tenant of the faith.

"Francis was clear that whatever graces are offered to atheists (such that they may be saved) are from Christ," the Rev. John Zuhlsdorf, a conservative Catholic priest, wrote on his blog.

"He was clear that salvation is only through Christ’s Sacrifice.  In other words, he is not suggesting – and I think some are taking it this way – that you can be saved, get to heaven, without Christ."

Chad Pecknold, an assistant professor of theology at the Catholic University of America, agreed with Zuhlsdorf, pointing out that the pope’s comments came on the Feast of Saint Rita, the Catholic patron saint of impossible things.

“The remarks about atheists show that there is even a saint for atheists,” Pecknold said. “Including all of humanity, on this day especially, remarks like that are almost called for.”

“To stress that the gospel redeems all people, including atheists, is the teaching of the church,” he added. “This is an objective fact that the church believes.”

Greg Epstein, the humanist chaplain at Harvard University, said Francis' comments reflect “the interfaith and inter-community work many of us nontheists are dedicated to.”

That said, Epstein hopes that lay Catholics are listening.

“I hope Catholics, and all people hearing the pope's statement, will recognize that his words about atheists need to symbolize much more than just a curiosity or an exception to the rule,” Epstein said. “If someone thinks there are only a few atheists out there doing good just like Catholics do, that's a major misunderstanding that can lead to prejudice and discrimination.”

The pope’s comments come a few months after he told worshipers that Catholics should be close to all men and women, including those who don’t belong to any religious tradition.

"In this we feel the closeness also of those men and women who, while not belonging to any religious tradition, feel, however the need to search for the truth, the goodness and the beauty of God, and who are our precious allies in efforts to defend the dignity of man, in the building of a peaceful coexistence between peoples and in the careful protection of creation,” Francis said shortly after his election as pope in March.

Even atheists like David Silverman, president of American Atheists, who has had an antagonistic relationship with the Catholic church, welcomed the pope’s remarks.

“While the concept of Jesus dying for atheists is wrong on many levels (especially given that Jesus himself promised hell for blasphemers), I can appreciate the pope's `good faith' effort to include atheists in the moral discussion,” Silverman said.

“Atheists on the whole want no part in Catholicism, of course, but we are all interested in basic human rights.”

(http://www.ucanindia.in/news/popes-comment-on-redemption-for-atheists-sparks-debate/21063/daily)

Friends of God (91) - Love is proved by deeds and we cannot love God only by word, but with deeds and in truth

"The human virtues are, I insist, the foundation for the supernatural ones. These in turn provide us with constant encouragement to behave as good human beings. In either case, it is not sufficient merely to want to have these virtues. We have to learn how to practise them. Discite benefacere, learn to do good. We need to make a habit of exercising each virtue, by actually being sincere, truthful, balanced, calm and patient... for love is proved by deeds and we cannot love God only by word, but 'with deeds and in truth'."

St. Josemaría Escrivá

Pope: the economic crisis has ethical roots, we need a global rethink of system

Pope: the economic crisis has ethical roots, we need a global rethink of system

We can not put "the idols of power, profit, money, over and above the value of the human person." Unemployment "is spreading like wildfire in large areas of the West and boundaries of poverty are spreading at an alarming rate. And there is no worse material poverty, I am compelled to emphasize, than that which does not allow people to earn their daily bread and deprives them of the dignity of work. "

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Rethinking solidarity", "returning to the centrality of man, to a more ethical vision of human activities and relationships" for "a global rethinking of the system" is a requirement made more pressing by the current crisis, with "the phenomenon of unemployment spreading like wildfire." The crisis, in fact, warns Pope Francis, "is not only economic and financial but is rooted in an anthropological and ethical crisis" that puts "the idols of power, profit, money, over and above the value of the human person "forgetting that" above the business, logic and parameters of the marketplace, is a human being", who must able to "live in dignity".

The meeting with the Centesimus Annus - Pro Pontifice Foundation, who have been holding an n international conference on the theme "Rethinking Solidarity for Employment: The Challenges of the Twenty-First Century", was an opportunity today for the Pope's reflection on the actuality of the social doctrine of the Church and the need to "combine Church teaching with socio-economic development, which, being constant and fast, always presents us with new aspects."

In a reference to the problem addressed by the Foundation - established by Pope John Paul II twenty years ago, and which bears the name of one of his encyclical on work and the human person - Francis noted that "rethinking solidarity" certainly "does not mean questioning recent Magisterium, the foresight and actuality of which is increasingly coming to bear".  It means "above all combining Church teaching with socio-economic development, which, being constant and fast, always presents new aspects for discussion".  Secondly, it means "deepening and further reflecting on it, to bring out the entire fecundity of a value - solidarity, in this case - that draws deeply from the Gospel, which is Jesus Christ, and as such contains inexhaustible potential".
"The current economic and social crisis adds urgency to this 'rethinking' and brings out the truth and relevance of the Churches social teaching even more." Inside the crisis is the phenomenon of unemployment, "the lack and of loss employment, which is spreading like wildfire in large areas of the West and which is alarmingly spreading the confines of poverty. And there is no worse material poverty, I am compelled to emphasize, than that which does not allow people to earn their daily bread and deprives them of the dignity of work. By now this 'something is wrong' no longer concerns only the South, but the entire planet. This is why there is an ever greater need to 'rethink solidarity' no longer as simple assistance to the poor, but as a global rethinking of the whole system, such as finding ways to reform it and correct it in a manner consistent with the fundamental human rights of all men. We must restore this word 'solidarity', which is not well seen by the economic world - as if it were a bad word - its well-deserved social citizenship".
"The current crisis is not only economic and financial but is rooted in an anthropological and ethical crisis. The idols of power, profit, money, over and above the value of the human person, has become a basic mode of operation and decisive criterion in organization. It is forgotten and people still forget that above the business logic and parameters of the marketplace, there is the human being and there is something which is due to man , by virtue of his profound dignity: the opportunity to live with dignity and participate actively in the common good. Benedict XVI reminded us that every human activity, even in the economic sphere, precisely because it is human, must be structured and governed in an ethical manner. We must return to the centrality of man, to more ethical human activities and relationships, without the fear that in doing so we will lose something."

 
(http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pope:-the-economic-crisis-has-ethical-roots,-we-need-a-global-rethink-of-system-28022.html)

CHINA - Marking World Day, Chinese pray for "unity" and "communion" with Universal Church

CHINA
Marking World Day, Chinese pray for "unity" and "communion" with Universal Church
by Bodi Jiao
From Shanghai to Beijing, marking the day dedicated to Our Lady of Sheshan and the Church in China, the faithful gather to pray, attend Mass, Eucharistic adoration and make pilgrimages. Feast day focuses on the theme internal unity and communion with Catholics around the world. Six years after the Letter, heartfelt gratitude of the faithful to Benedict XVI still growing.


Shanghai (AsiaNews) - May 24 is the special day devoted to prayer for the Church in China. It is the feast of Our Lady of Sheshan, "Help of Christians", in Shanghai. And yesterday coincided with the sixth anniversary of the invitation from Pope emeritus Benedict XVI to Christians throughout the world to join in prayer for Chinese Catholics, in the sacred month dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Benedict XVI's Letter to Chinese Catholics, continues to be - even today - a source of inspiration for the faithful in China, urging them to be witnesses of truth, love and hope for China today. So we want to again thank His Holiness for his deep love and blessing given to the Catholic Church in China.
To date a large number of dioceses in China have organized various activities and religious services to celebrate the feast of May 24, among others, Eucharistic adoration, the Rosary, pilgrimages, celebrations of harvest, all directed to the unity of the Church in China and communion with the Universal Church.
Yesterday morning, priests and seminarians of the Sheshan seminary in the diocese of Shanghai, celebrated Mass at the Marian shrine on top of the mountain on which one of the most important places of worship in the country stands. The liturgy was attended by thousands of faithful. They prayed to Our Lady of Sheshan, asking her to intercede for the Church in China. Moreover, in this month of May, all the parishes of the city went on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Sheshan.
At the same time, several priests, religious, seminarians and faithful of the Diocese of Zhouzhi, in Shanxi Province, took part in Eucharistic adoration in the minor seminary, with special prayers for the solidarity of the church in China and communion with the Universal Church. Each parish organized different religious activities. Likewise, they made a pilgrimage to the mountains of Shanxi where there is a cross dedicated to Our Lady of China.
And again, the Catholics of the diocese of Beijing offered special prayers for the unity of the church in China. Also yesterday, 24 May, many parishes promoted pilgrimages to the Marian grotto Sang Yu Hou, dedicated to "Our Lady of Lourdes," which is located in a small village in a mountainous area. According to tradition, over the centuries the site has been a source of repeated miracles. And that is precisely the place where the community celebrated the victory of faith in difficult times of persecution and, thanks to the fundamental help provided by the Virgin Mary.
In conclusion, May 24 was a day of celebration in which Chinese Catholics have asked Our Lady of China to pray for the Church. So we want to ask everyone, together, for one last prayer for the unity of the church in China, using the same words contained in the letter of the Holy Father Benedict XVI.

"Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother, venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title "Help of Christians", the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection.  We come before you today to implore your protection.  Look upon the People of God and, with a mother's care, guide them, along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.

...

Sustain all those in China, who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to love. May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world and of the world to Jesus.

...

Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. Amen"

(http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Marking-World-Day,-Chinese-pray-for-unity-and-communion-with-Universal-Church-28019.html)

Our Lady of Sheshan

"On the feast of Mary Help of Christians I join the Catholics in China who trust in the protection of Our Lady of Sheshan and I pray for them."

Pope Francis (@Pontifex)

Day of Prayer for Catholics in China

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has invited Catholics around the world to pray on Friday especially for the Church in China. Noting that May 24th marks the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, who is venerated in a special way at the shrine of Sheshan near Shanghai, the Pope at his general audience this week prayed that Chinese Catholics would “continue to believe, hope, love” and never be afraid to speak about their faith. Quoting from a prayer written especially for the Church in China by his predecessor, Benedict XVI, Pope Francis asked Our Lady to support Catholics there and to help the Church grow in faithfulness to the Successor of Peter and in service to all the Chinese people.

 

(http://www.news.va/en/news/day-of-prayer-for-catholics-in-china)

ASIA/INDIA - Christians will bring aid to Syrian refugees during a journey of solidarity

"Ernakulam - The Indian Christians mobilize for their confreres in Syria which has caused since the beginning of the civil war more than 90,000 victims and refugees continue to increase. The Syrian Christians are suffering along with the population because of displacement and poverty, and it is estimated that over a million and a half Syrians have emigrated. Due to this alarming situation, the Jacobite Church in Kerala, linked to the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, has launched a collection of humanitarian aid for the assistance to the Christian communities in Syria. "The fight has become increasingly violent and has damaged most of the churches and Christian properties in Syria," explains a note sent to Fides Agency by the Jacobite Church. All the communities of the faithful in Kerala are contributing generously to the collection, which will be led by Catholicos Baselios Thomas I, leader of the Jacobite Church in India. In the coming weeks a delegation of the Church will carry out a solidarity mission in Syria and will deliver the aid. The Christian communities in India, of all denominations, express sympathy and concern for the delicate, unresolved matter regarding the kidnapping of two Syrian bishops.The Jacobite Syriac Church, one of the various Christian churches founded in India by the preaching of St. Thomas the Apostle, is an integral part of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and the Patriarch of Antioch as its supreme head. The head of the Church in India is the "Catholicos of the East", currently Baselios Thomas I, and its seat is in the state of Kerala in southern India."

(http://www.news.va/en/news/asiaindia-christians-will-bring-aid-to-syrian-refu)