Words of the Holy Father-God our Father today weeps-10-31-24

 Words of the Holy Father-God our Father today weeps-10-31-24

Someone said that God was made man in order to be able to mourn for what had been done to his children. Thus, the “tears before the tomb of Lazarus are the tears of a friend”. However, the tears recounted in the passage from Luke’s Gospel are the “tears of the Father”. Even today, faced with disasters, wars which are conducted out of the worship of the god of money, of many innocent people murdered by bombs which are launched by worshippers of the idol of money. Thus, “even today the Father weeps, and even today says: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, my children, what are you doing?”. And “he says this to the poor victims, as well as to arms traffickers, and all those who sell the lives of people”. Think about how God was made man in order to be able to weep. And we would do well to think that God our Father today weeps: he weeps for this humanity which does not end, to understand the peace which he offers us, the peace of love. (Santa Marta, 27 October 2016)

Date31/10/2024

Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Gospel in Art: A call to action - Make your voice heard against Assisted Suicide https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50984

Words of the Holy Father-narrow doorway-ove God and neighbour-10-30-24

 Words of the Holy Father-narrow doorway-ove God and neighbour-10-30-24

With these words, Jesus makes it clear that it is not a matter of numbers, there is no “limited number” in Paradise! Rather, it is a case of taking the right way from now, and this right way is for everyone, but it is narrow. This is the problem. Jesus does not want to give us false hopes by saying: “Yes, do not worry, it is easy, there is a beautiful highway with a large gate at the end ....”. He does not say this. He tells us things as they truly are: the doorway is narrow. In what sense? In the sense that, in order to save oneself, one has to love God and neighbour, and this is uncomfortable! It is a “narrow doorway” because it is demanding. Love is always demanding. It requires commitment, indeed, “effort”, that is, a determined and persevering willingness to live according to the Gospel. Saint Paul calls it “the good fight of the faith” (1 Tim 6:12). It takes a daily, all-day effort to love God and neighbour. (…)

No, claims do not count, they do not count. The Lord will recognize us only for our humble life and a good life, a life of faith that resulted in good works. (Angelus, 25 August 2019)

Date30/10/2024

Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Gospel in Art: Try your best to enter by the narrow door https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50976 

Words of the Holy Father-ask everything to the One who can give us everything, -10-27-24

 Words of the Holy Father-ask everything to the One who can give us everything, -10-27-24

Bartimaeus’ faith is evident from his prayer. It is not a timid and standard prayer. First and foremost, he calls the Lord “Son of David”: that is, he acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah, the King who would come into the world. Then he calls Him by name, confidently; “Jesus”. He is not afraid of Him, he does not stay at a distance. And thus, from the heart, he shouts out his entire drama to God, his friend: “Have mercy on me”! Just that prayer: “Have mercy on me”! He does not ask for some loose change as he does with passers-by. No. He asks for everything from the One who can do everything. He asks people for loose change; he asks everything from Jesus who can do everything. “Have mercy on me, have mercy on all that I am”. He does not ask for a grace, but presents himself: he asks for mercy on his person, on his life. It is not a small request, but it is very beautiful because it is a cry for mercy, that is, compassion, God’s mercy, his tenderness. (…) Let us ask everything to the One who can give us everything, like Bartimaeus, who was a great teacher, a great teacher of prayer. May Bartimaeus, with his genuine, insistent and courageous faith, be an example for us. And may Our Lady, the prayerful Virgin, teach us to turn to God with all our heart, confident that he listens attentively to every prayer. (Angelus, 24 October 2021)

Date27/10/2024

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Gospel in Art: Christ healing the blind beggar Bartimaeus https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50951 

Words of the Holy Father-the fig tree-possibility of conversion is not unlimited-10-26-24

 Words of the Holy Father-the fig tree-possibility of conversion is not unlimited-10-26-24

What does this parable symbolize? What do the characters in this parable symbolize?

The master represents God the Father and the vinedresser is the image of Jesus, while the fig tree is the symbol of an indifferent and insensitive humanity. Jesus intercedes with the Father in favour of humanity — and he always does so — and implores him to wait and to give it more time so that it may bring forth the fruits of love and justice. The fig tree that the master in the parable wants to uproot represents a sterile existence that is incapable of giving, incapable of doing good. It is the symbol of one who lives for himself, sated and calm, enjoying his own comforts, incapable of turning his gaze and his heart to those beside him who find themselves in conditions of suffering, poverty and hardship. This attitude of selfishness and spiritual barrenness, is compared to the vinedresser’s great love for the fig tree. He asks the master to wait. He is patient, knows how to wait, and devotes his time and his work to it. He promises the master to take special care of that unfortunate tree.

And this vinedresser’s likeness manifests the mercy of God who leaves us time for conversion. We all need to convert ourselves, to take a step forward; and God’s patience and mercy accompanies us in this. Despite the barrenness that marks our lives at times, God is patient and offers us the possibility to change and make progress on the path towards good. However, the deferment requested and received in expectation of the tree bearing fruit also indicates the urgency of conversion. The vinedresser tells the master: “Let it alone, sir, this year also” (v. 8). The possibility of conversion is not unlimited; thus, it is necessary to seize it immediately; otherwise it might be lost forever. (Angelus, 24 March 2019)

Date26/10/2024

Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Gospel in Art: Looking for fruit on the fig tree https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50946 

Words of the Holy Father-knowing the signs of the times’-With silence, reflection and prayer-10-25-24

 Words of the Holy Father-knowing the signs of the times’-With silence, reflection and prayer-10-25-24

We have the freedom to judge what happens around us. He warned, however, that in order to judge we must really know what is happening around us. How can one do this, what the Church calls ‘knowing the signs of the times’?”. Times change, and it is truly Christian wisdom to recognize these changes, to be familiar with the different times, to know the signs of the times, to distinguish between “the meaning of one thing and another”. It is a call to act without fear, with freedom. We are free through the gift of freedom that Jesus Christ gave us. But our task is to examine what is happening within us, to discern our feelings and our thoughts, and to analyze what is happening around us, to discern the signs of the times. How can we do this? “With silence, reflection and prayer”. (Santa Marta, 23 October 2015)

Date25/10/2024

Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html 

Gospel in Art: How is it you do not know how to interpret these times? https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50939

Words of the Holy Father- fire of the Holy Spirit-working in us from the day of our Baptism.10-24-24

 Words of the Holy Father- fire of the Holy Spirit-working in us from the day of our Baptism.10-24-24

The Gospel for this Sunday (Lk 12:49-53) is part of Jesus’ teachings to the disciples during his journey to Jerusalem, where death on the cross awaits him. (…)  The fire that Jesus speaks of is the fire of the Holy Spirit, the presence living and working in us from the day of our Baptism. It — the fire — is a creative force that purifies and renews, that burns all human misery, all selfishness, all sin, which transforms us from within, regenerates us and makes us able to love. Jesus wants the Holy Spirit to blaze like fire in our heart, for it is only from the heart that the fire of divine love can spread and advance the Kingdom of God. It does not come from the head, it comes from the heart. This is why Jesus wants fire to enter our heart. If we open ourselves completely to the action of this fire which is the Holy Spirit, He will give us the boldness and the fervor to proclaim to everyone Jesus and his consoling message of mercy and salvation, navigating on the open sea, without fear.

In fulfilling her mission in the world, the Church — namely all of us who make up the Church — needs the Holy Spirit’s help so as not to let herself be held back by fear and by calculation, so as not to become accustomed to walking inside of safe borders. These two attitudes lead the Church to be a functional Church, which never takes risks. Instead, the apostolic courage that the Holy Spirit kindles in us like a fire helps us to overcome walls and barriers, makes us creative and spurs us to get moving in order to walk even on uncharted or arduous paths, offering hope to those we meet. (Angelus, 14 August 2016)

Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time  Date24/10/2024

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html 

Gospel in Art: I have come to bring fire to the earth https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50931

Words of the Holy Father-definitive encounter with Christ-10-23-24- did for his Mother, Mary Most Holy;

 Words of the Holy Father-definitive encounter with Christ-10-23-24- did for his Mother, Mary Most Holy;

This (…) Gospel (Lk 12:32-48) speaks to us about the desire for the definitive encounter with Christ, a desire that keeps us ever ready, alert in spirit, for we anticipate this encounter with all our heart, with all our being. This is a fundamental aspect of life. It is a desire that we all share, whether explicit or secret, we have hidden in our heart; we all harbour this desire in our heart. It is also important to see Jesus’ teaching in the actual context in which he transmitted it. In this case, Luke the Evangelist shows us Jesus walking with his disciples to Jerusalem, walking to his death and resurrection at Easter, and on this journey he teaches them, confiding to them what he himself carries in his heart, the deep attitude of his heart: detachment from earthly possessions, his trust in the Father’s Providence and, indeed, his innermost watchfulness, all the while working for the Kingdom of God. For Jesus it is waiting for his return to the Father’s house. For us it is waiting for Christ himself who will come to take us to the everlasting celebration, as he did for his Mother, Mary Most Holy; he took her up to Heaven with him. (Angelus, 11 August 2013)

Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html 

Words of the Holy Father-constant commitment, for our sanctification-10-22-24

 Words of the Holy Father-constant commitment, for our sanctification-10-22-24

With these words the Lord reminds us that life is a journey towards eternity; (…). In this perspective, every instant becomes precious, and thus we must live and act on this earth, while longing for Heaven: our feet on the ground, walking on the ground, working on the ground, doing good on the ground and the heart longing for Heaven. (…) We cannot truly understand in what this supreme joy consists. However, Jesus lets us sense it with the analogy of the master who, finding his servants still awake on his return: “will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them” (v. 37). The eternal joy in heaven is manifested this way: the situation will be reversed and it will no longer be the servants, that is, we who will serve God, but God himself will place himself at our service. And Jesus does this as of now: Jesus prays for us, Jesus looks at us and prays to the Father for us. Jesus serves us now. He is our servant. And this will be the definitive joy. The thought of the final encounter with the Father, abundant in mercy, fills us with hope and stirs us to 

constant commitment, for our sanctification and for the building of a more just and fraternal world. (Angelus, 11 August 2019)

Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Gospel in Art: Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50914

Words of the Holy Father- love God with all one’s being, and love one’s neighbour-10-21-24

 Words of the Holy Father- love God with all one’s being, and love one’s neighbour-10-21-24

The end of the parable as recounted by the Evangelist is uniquely effective: “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (v. 21). It is a warning which reveals the horizon towards which we are called to look. Material goods are necessary — they are goods! —, but they are a means to live honestly and in sharing with the neediest. Today, Jesus invites us to consider that wealth can enslave the heart and distract it from the true treasure which is in heaven. (…)

It is understood that this does not mean estranging oneself from reality, but rather seeking the things that have true value: justice, solidarity, 

welcome, fraternity, peace, all things that make up the true dignity of mankind. It is a case of leading a life that is fulfilled not according to a worldly manner, but rather according to the style of the Gospel: to love God with all one’s being, and love one’s neighbour as Jesus loved him, that is, in service and in giving oneself. (…)

Love that is understood and lived in [the style of the Gospel] is the source of true happiness, whereas the exaggerated search for material goods and wealth is often a source of anxiety, adversity, abuse of power, war. Many wars begin from covetousness. (Angelus, 4 August 2019)

Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html 

Gospel in Art: Tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50906 

Marriage explained with the Holy Spirit by Pope Francis - ZENIT - English

 Marriage explained with the Holy Spirit by Pope Francis - ZENIT - English https://zenit.org/2024/10/23/marriage-explained-with-the-holy-spirit-by-pope-francis/?eti=18410

Pope at General Audience: Invite Holy Spirit to protect your marriage and children - Vatican News

 Pope at General Audience: Invite Holy Spirit to protect your marriage and children - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-10/pope-at-general-audience-23-october-2024.html

Words of the Holy Father-the strength of Baptism-the service of others-10-20-24

 Words of the Holy Father-the strength of Baptism-the service of others-10-20-24

Let us look at the Crucified Lord, completely immersed in our wounded history, and we will discover God’s way of doing things. We see that he did not remain above in heaven to look down on us from up there, but he lowered himself to wash our feet. God is love and love is humble, it does not exalt itself, but comes down like the rain that falls to earth and brings life. But how can we adopt the same direction as Jesus, going from raising ourselves up to immersing ourselves, from the mentality of prestige, worldly prestige, to that of service, Christian service? Dedication is needed, but that is not enough. It is difficult alone, but not impossible, for we have a strength within that helps us. It is the strength of Baptism, of that immersion in Jesus  that all of us have already received through grace that directs us, moving us to follow him instead of seeking our interests, but to put ourselves at the service of others. It is a grace, a fire that the Spirit has kindled in us that needs to be nurtured. Today, let us ask the Holy Spirit to renew the grace of Baptism in us, that immersion in Jesus, in his way of being, to be more like servants, to be servants like he has been with us. (Angelus, 17 October 2021)

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Gospel in Art: I did not come to be served but to serve https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50898 

Words of the Holy Father-The Spirit is the Gift of God.-given us in Baptism-10-19-24

 Words of the Holy Father-The Spirit is the Gift of God.-given us in Baptism-10-19-24

The Holy Spirit guides us; He leads us to discern, to discern what we must do now, which is the right path and which is the wrong one, even in small decisions. If we ask for the light of the Holy Spirit, He will help us to discern so as to make the right decisions, the little everyday ones and the big ones. He will accompany us and support us in this discernment. Therefore, the Spirit teaches us: He will teach us everything, that is, He will make us grow in faith, He introduces us to the mystery. The Spirit reminds us: He reminds us of faith, He reminds us of our life; it is the Spirit who in this teaching and in this memory teaches us to discern the decisions we must make. And the Gospels give a name to this, to the Holy Spirit - yes, Paraclete, because He supports you, but another more beautiful name: the Gift of God. The Spirit is the Gift of God. The Spirit is indeed the gift. He will not leave you alone, He will send you a Paraclete who will sustain you and help you to progress, to remember, discern and grow. The Gift of God is the Holy Spirit. May the Lord help us to keep this Gift that He has given us in Baptism, and which we all have within. (Santa Marta, 11 May 2020)

Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Gospel in Art: The Son of Man will declare himself in the presence of the angels https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50895

Words of the Holy Father-characteristics of the mission-10-18-24 returned with joy

 Words of the Holy Father-characteristics of the mission-10-18-24 returned with joy

In sending out the 72 disciples, Jesus gives them precise instructions which express the characteristics of the mission. The first, as we have already seen, is: 

pray; the second: go; and then: carry no purse, no bag...; say, ‘Peace be to this house’ ... remain in the same house... do not go from house to house... heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’”. And if they do not receive you, go out into the streets and take your leave (cf. vv. 2-10). These imperatives show that the mission is based on prayer; that it is itinerant: it is not idle; it is itinerant; that it requires separation and poverty; that it brings peace and healing, signs of the closeness of the Kingdom of God; that it is not proselytism but proclamation and witness; 

and that it also requires frankness and the evangelical freedom to leave while highlighting the responsibility of having rejected the message of salvation, but without condemnation and cursing. If lived in these terms, the mission of the Church will be characterized by joy. And how does this passage end? The 72 “returned with joy” (cf. v. 17). It is not an ephemeral joy, which flows from the success of the mission; on the contrary, it is a joy rooted in the promise 

that — as Jesus says: “your names are written in heaven”. (Angelus, 7 July 2019)

Feast of Saint Luke, evangelist

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Gospel in Art: Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50885 

Words of the Holy Father- Authority arises from a good example-10-16-24

 Words of the Holy Father- Authority arises from a good example-10-16-24

Brothers and sisters, a frequent flaw of those in authority, whether civil or ecclesiastic authority, is that of demanding of others things — even 

righteous things — that they do not, however, put into practise in the first person. They live a double life. Jesus says: “They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger (v. 4). This attitude sets a bad example of authority, which should instead derive its primary strength precisely from setting a good example. Authority arises from a good example, so as to help others to practise what is right and proper, sustaining them in the trials that they meet on the right path. Authority is a help, but if it is wrongly exercised, it becomes oppressive; it does not allow people to grow, and creates a climate of distrust and hostility, and also leads to corruption. (…) May the Virgin Mary, “humble and exalted more than any creature” (Dante,  Paradiso, xxxiii:2), help us, with her motherly intercession, to spurn pride and vanity, and to be meek and docile to the love that comes from God, for the service of our brothers and sisters and for their joy, which will also be our own. (Angelus, 5 November 2017)

Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html 

Gospel in Art: Alas for you Pharisees who like taking the seats of honour https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50868 

Words of the Holy Father-ask for grace of proceed “quietly, doing good”, and doing so “freely 10-15-24

 Words of the Holy Father-ask for grace of proceed “quietly, doing good”, and doing so “freely 10-15-24

Words of the Holy Father

People who follow the religion of makeup: the appearance, to appear, pretending to seem a certain way “while inside...”. The  “very powerful image” that Jesus evokes: “‘You are whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanliness’”. (…) Let us ask the Lord that we never tire of going down that path; that we never tire of rejecting this religion of appearances, this religion of seeming, of pretending.... We must instead be committed to proceed “quietly, doing good”, and doing so “freely as we have freely received our interior freedom”. Let us ask for this grace. (Santa Marta, 11 October 2016)

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html 

Gospel in Art:  Feast of Saint Teresa of Avila https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50860

Words of the Holy Father-works without merciful love mean nothing. The Jonah Syndrome-10-14-24

 Words of the Holy Father-works without merciful love mean nothing. The Jonah Syndrome-10-14-24

Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights. This refers to Jesus in the tomb, to his death and resurrection. This is the sign that Jesus promises: against hypocrisy, against the attitude of perfect religiosity, against the attitude of the Pharisees. The sign which Jesus promises, is his forgiveness, through his death and resurrection. Therefore, the true sign of Jonah is the one that gives us confidence in being saved by the blood of Christ. There are many Christians who think they are saved on the basis of what they do, on the basis of their works. Works are necessary, but they are a consequence, a response to the merciful love that saves us. These works without merciful love mean nothing. The “Jonah Syndrome” is work without this love. We should take advantage of today’s liturgy to ask ourselves and make a choice. (Santa Marta, 14 October 2013)

Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.htm

Gospel in Art: Memorial of Saint Callistus https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50852

Words of the Holy Father-Eternal life-10-13-24

 Words of the Holy Father-Eternal life-10-13-24

 “What must I do to inherit eternal life”, in other words, happiness (v. 17). “Eternal life” is not only the afterlife, but is a full life, fulfilled, without limitations. What must we do to achieve it? Jesus’ answer restates the commandments that refer to loving one’s neighbours. In this regard the young man has nothing to reproach; but clearly, observing the precepts is not enough. It does not satisfy his desire for fulfillment. (…) Only by accepting with humble gratitude the love of the Lord do we free ourselves from the seduction of idols and the blindness of our illusions. Money, pleasure, success dazzle but then disappoint: they promise life but procure death. The Lord asks us to detach ourselves from these false riches in order to enter into true life, the full, authentic, luminous life. (Angelus, 11 October 2015)

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html 

Gospel in Art: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle... https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50844 

Last Stage of The Synod on Synodality

 Last Stage of The Synod on Synodality https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50854

Words of the Holy Father-The merit of faith is receiving Jesus-10-12-24

 Words of the Holy Father-The merit of faith is receiving Jesus-10-12-24

In the passage we heard, Paul says that the Law was like a pedagogue. (…) In the school system of antiquity, the pedagogue did not have the function we attribute to him today, namely that of supporting the education of a boy or a girl. At the time he was instead a slave whose task was to accompany the master’s son to the teacher and then bring him home again. He was thus to protect him from danger and watch over him to ensure he did not behave badly. His function was rather disciplinary. When the boy became an adult, the pedagogue ceased his duties. (…) Referring to the Law in these terms enables Saint Paul to clarify the role it played in the history of Israel. The Torah, that is, the Law, was an act of magnanimity by God towards his people. After the election of Abraham, the other great act was the Law: laying down the path to follow. It certainly had restrictive functions, but at the same time it had protected the people, it had educated them, disciplined them and supported them in their weakness… (…) What does this mean? That after the Law we can say, “We believe in Jesus Christ and do what we want”? No! The Commandments exist, but they do not justify us. What justifies is Jesus Christ. The Commandments must be observed, but they do not give us justice; there is the gratuitousness of Jesus Christ, the encounter with Jesus Christ that freely justifies us. The merit of faith is receiving Jesus. The only merit: opening the heart. So what do we do with the Commandments? We must observe them, but as an aid to the encounter with Jesus Christ.

This teaching on the value of the law is very important, and deserves to be considered carefully so as not to fall into misunderstandings and take false steps. (General audience, 18 August 2021)

Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html 

Gospel in Art: Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50838

Pope opens Synod General Assembly with Mass in St Peter’s Square - Vatican News

 Pope opens Synod General Assembly with Mass in St Peter’s Square - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-10/pope-opens-synod-general-assembly-with-mass-in-st-peter-s-square.html

Words of the Holy Father-become like children=09-02-24

 Words of the Holy Father-become like children=09-02-24

God has no difficulty in making Himself understood by children, and children have no difficulty in understanding God. It is not by chance that in the Gospel there are several very beautiful and powerful words of Jesus regarding the “little ones”. This term, “babes”, refers to all the people who depend on the help of others, and to children in particular. For example, Jesus says: (…)  “See that you do not despise one of these little ones: for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 18:10).

Thus, children are in and of themselves a treasure for humanity and also for the Church, for they constantly evoke that necessary condition for entering the Kingdom of God: that of not considering ourselves self-sufficient, but in need of help, of love, of forgiveness. We all are in need of help, of love and of forgiveness! (…) But there are so many gifts, so many riches that children bring to humanity. I shall mention only a few. They bring their way of seeing reality, with a trusting and pure gaze. A child has spontaneous trust in his father and mother; he has spontaneous trust in God, in Jesus, in Our Lady. At the same time, his interior gaze is pure, not yet tainted by malice, by duplicity, by the “incrustations” of life which harden the heart. We know that children are also marked by original sin, that they are selfish, but they preserve purity, and interior simplicity. (…) For all these reasons Jesus invited his disciples to “become like children”, because “the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like them” (General audience, 18 March 2015)

Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html 

Gospel in Art: Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50765

Pope Francis WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2024

 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2024   "We all have an angel who is always beside us, who never abandons us and helps us not to lose our way. And if we know how to be like children we can avoid the temptation of being self-sufficient, which leads to arrogance and even to extreme careerism."

Pope Francis

This is the prayer intention that Pope Francis commends to all Catholics - ZENIT - English

This is the prayer intention that Pope Francis commends to all Catholics - ZENIT - English: In his prayer intention for the month of October, Pope Francis invites us to pray for a “a synodal lifestyle as a sign of co-responsibility"

Pope Francis reaffirms that “priests are not the bosses of the laity, but their pastors” and that “Jesus called us, one and others – not one above others, or one on one side and others on another side, but complementing each other.”

This is the prayer intention that Pope Francis commends to all Catholics | ZENIT - English

Words of the Holy Father-decision-ask Jesus for the strength to be like him-10=02-24

 Words of the Holy Father-decision-ask Jesus for the strength to be like him-10=02-24

When the days drew near for him to be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Lk 9:51). Thus he begins his “great journey” toward the Holy City which required a special decision because it was his last one. Filled with a still too worldly enthusiasm, the disciples dream that the Master is going to meet with triumph. Instead, Jesus knows that rejection and death await him in Jerusalem (cf. Lk 9:22, 43b-45); he knows he will have to suffer a great deal. This is what demands a resolute decision. And so, Jesus goes forward taking decisive steps toward Jerusalem. This is the same decision we must make if we want to be disciples of Jesus. What does this decision consist of? For we must be serious disciples of Jesus, truly decisive, not “lukewarm”, as an old woman I knew used to say. No! Decisive Christians. (…) Now let us ask ourselves: At what point are we? What point are we at? In the face of opposition, misunderstanding, do we turn to the Lord? Do we ask him for his steadfastness in doing good? Or do we rather seek confirmation through applause, ending up being bitter and resentful when we do not hear it? (…) Let us thus ask Jesus for the strength to be like him, to follow him resolutely down the path of service, not to be vindictive, not to be intolerant when difficulties present themselves, when we spend ourselves in doing good and others do not understand this, 

or even when they disqualify us. No, silence and onward. (Angelus, 26 June 2022)

Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html 

Pope Francis TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2024

 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2024   "Pay close attention to this: this son is a sinner, but he is not corrupt. And there is always hope of redemption for a sinner. For the corrupt on the other hand, it is much more difficult. In fact, the corrupt person’s false “yesses”, elegant but hypocritical façades and habitual false pretences, are like a thick “rubber wall”, behind which to take cover from qualms of conscience. And these hypocrites do so much evil! Brothers and sisters, sinners yes — we all are — corrupt no! Sinners yes, corrupt no!"

Pope Francis