Whoever receives you receives me

Here is the text of the homily I prepared for this weekend's celebrations of the Day of the Lord.  On the thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Saint Paul reminds us that we are destined for eternal life.

Whoever receives you receives me

Today marks the second weekend - following the lockdown which was imposed by the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic - since we have begun celebrating Masses publicly in this space.  The isolation period which was imposed for our own safety has resulted in changes which have been implemented even here for the safety of all our brothers and sisters.  After three months of isolation, at least some parts of life are slowly returning to a new normal, and we are emerging with new learnings and wisdom which is the fruit of our prayer and our experience.

Today's scripture passages help us to focus our thoughts.  The first reading, taken from the Book of Kings, speaks of the encounter of the prophet Elisha with a husband and wife who lived in the town of Shunem.  This woman and her husband must have been people of faith.  The woman met Elisha and invited her into her home to share a meal, and then afterward, she and her husband prepared a place in their home to provide hospitality to him each time he would pass by (cf 1 K 4: 8-11).  Hospitality is one of the key characteristics of people of faith.  We have come to know that our God loves us and cares for us, and therefore we ourselves should always care for others.  Have we had a renewed understanding of our own faithfulness during these past months?  Have we seen this faithfulness made visible in a deeper willingness to be of service to others?

In today's gospel passage, Jesus confirms the call for all disciples to put our faith into action.  Speaking to his apostles, he said: Whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink ... will not lose his reward (Mt 37: 42).  It does not matter how large or small the act of kindness is.  What is important is that we give freely, motivated only by love for God and love for our brothers and sisters.

As we emerge from this period of imposed isolation, we should be increasingly attentive to the call of Jesus: words of encouragement to allow our faith to shine forth in our words and actions.  We are still not aware of all the needs that will be presented; in small and significant ways, we will be called upon to make a difference in people's lives.  What would we like others to see and to understand about who we are?

In his letter to the Christian community living in Rome, Saint Paul urged them to understand that their belief in Jesus Christ and in his resurrection compelled them to be different from everyone else. We who were baptized into Christ Jesus, he said, were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life (Rom 6: 3-4).  This was something revolutionary for the time: never before had anyone witnessed a resurrection from the dead - except those who were present for the raising of Lazarus - and now, because of Jesus' resurrection, Christians were called to believe that it was possible to look forward in hope to a new life.  This is the same hope that we carry in our hearts, but we must be firmly rooted in this hope in order to share this good news with those we meet.

How will we bring the joyful message of the resurrection to those of our brothers and sisters who may be emerging into this new reality, wearied by the trials of these past months, struggling with increased pressures to give in to all forms of false security and facing the ongoing pressures of being unemployed because of the forced closures of so many businesses?  Now more than ever, our world needs us to be living signs of hope.  Let us courageously go forward to share the truth that we have come to know: Jesus Christ was raised from the dead ... and so we too will one day live in newness of life (Rom 6: 3-4).

Celui qui vous reçoit me reçoit

Aujourd'hui c'est le deuxième fin de semaine - après le verrouillage imposé par l'arrivée de la pandémie de coronavirus - depuis que nous avons commencé à célébrer publiquement les messes dans cet espace. La période d'isolement qui a été imposée pour notre propre sécurité a entraîné des changements qui ont été mis en œuvre même ici pour la sécurité de tous nos frères et sœurs. Après trois mois d'isolement, au moins certaines parties de la vie reviennent lentement à une nouvelle normalité, et nous émergeons avec de nouveaux apprentissages et une sagesse qui est le fruit de notre prière et de notre expérience.

Les passages bibliques que nous avons entendus aujourd'hui nous aident à concentrer nos pensées. La première lecture, tirée du Livre des Rois, parle de la rencontre du prophète Élisée avec un mari et une femme qui habitaient la ville de Shunem. Cette femme et son mari devaient être des gens de foi. La femme a rencontré Elisée et l'a invité chez elle pour partager un repas, puis par après, elle et son mari ont préparé une place dans leur maison pour lui offrir l'hospitalité à chaque fois qu'il passait (cf 1 Rois 4, 8-11) . L'hospitalité est l'une des caractéristiques clés des personnes de foi. Nous avons appris que notre Dieu nous aime et prend soin de nous, c'est pourquoi nous devons toujours nous soucier des autres. Avons-nous acquis une compréhension renouvelée de notre propre fidélité au cours des derniers mois? Avons-nous rencontré cette fidélité rendue visible dans une volonté plus profonde d'être au service des autres?

Dans le passage de Évangélique d'aujourd'hui, Jésus confirme l'appel à tous les disciples de mettre leur foi en action. S'adressant à ses apôtres, il a dit: Quiconque donne même un verre d'eau froide à boire à l'un de ces petits ... ne perdra pas sa récompense (Mt 37 ? 42 : Mt 10, 42). Peu importe l'ampleur de l'acte de bonté, ce qui est important, c'est que nous donnions librement, motivés uniquement par l'amour de Dieu et l'amour de nos frères et sœurs.

Alors que nous sortons de cette période d'isolement imposé, nous devons être de plus en plus attentifs à l'appel de Jésus: des paroles d'encouragement pour permettre à notre foi de rayonner dans nos paroles et nos actions. Nous ne connaissons toujours pas tous les besoins qui seront présentés; de façon modeste et significative, nous serons appelés à faire une différence dans la vie des gens. Que voudrions-nous que des autres personnes voient et comprennent de ce qui nous sommes?

Dans sa lettre adressée à la communauté chrétienne à Rome, Saint Paul les a exhortés à comprendre que leur foi en Jésus-Christ et en sa résurrection les obligeait à être différents des autres. Nous tous qui par le baptême, a-t-il dit, avons été unis au Christ Jésus, c’est à sa mort que nous avons été unis par le baptême.  Si par le baptême que nous a unis à sa mort, nous avons été mis au tombeau avec lui, c’est pour que nous menions une vie nouvelle, nous aussi, comme le Christ, qui par la toute-puissance du Père, est ressuscité d’entre les morts (Rm 6, 3-4). C'était quelque chose de révolutionnaire pour l'époque: jamais auparavant personne n'avait été témoin d'une résurrection d'entre les morts - sauf ceux qui étaient présents pour la résurrection de Lazare - et maintenant, à cause de la résurrection de Jésus, les chrétiens étaient appelés à croire qu'il était possible d'anticiper et d'espérer une nouvelle vie. C'est ce même espoir que nous portons dans nos cœurs, mais nous devons être fermement enracinés dans cet espoir afin de partager cette bonne nouvelle avec ceux que nous rencontrons.

Comment allons-nous transmettre le message joyeux de la résurrection à ceux de nos frères et sœurs qui peuvent émerger dans cette nouvelle réalité, fatigués par les épreuves de ces derniers mois, à ceux et celles qui sont prises avec des pressions accrues pour céder à toutes les formes de fausse sécurité et affronter les pressions continues du chômage en raison des fermetures forcées de tant d'entreprises? Aujourd'hui plus que jamais, notre monde a besoin que nous soyons des signes vivants d'espoir. Allons courageusement de l'avant pour partager la vérité que nous avons appris: Jésus-Christ est ressuscité d'entre les morts ... et ainsi nous vivrons aussi un jour dans la nouveauté de la vie (Rm 6, 3-4).

What you hear in the dark

Here is the text of the homily I prepared for the celebrations of the Masses for this Sunday, the XII Sunday in Ordinary Time and the first Sunday since the provincial government mandated the closure of all Catholic churches in Ontario.

What you hear in the dark

Jesus uses a curious image in today's gospel.  He says to his apostles, and to us: What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops (Mt 10: 27).  In the early part of the month of March, the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Canada, and by the middle of that month, drastic measures were put in place which have changed the world as we know it.  Since that time, we have been living in the dark.  Although we have constantly been receiving information about the science of this disease, many of us have recognized changes in our lives during these past months while we have had to be socially distanced from our loved ones, from the communities and from the friends that we have otherwise been accustomed to seeing.

This weekend, across Ontario, Catholic churches are finally opening our doors and beginning to welcome people to gather for the celebration of the Eucharist.  Many things have changed in an effort to protect each other: new procedures have been implemented and the flow of the liturgy as we know it has had to be adapted in order to respect the advice that we have received from the health authorities.  Still, the good news is that we can begin to gather once again, to listen to the Word of God and to find in it the spiritual nourishment we seek so that we can be faithful disciples of Christ.

In time, we will begin to reflect on the experience of these past months.  Perhaps, having experienced this interruption in the routine of our daily lives, we will begin to discover the wisdom that we have gained.  Jesus encourages us to listen carefully to the wisdom that he offers us, especially in the dark moments of our lives because it is often in such moments that we truly discover the value of true wisdom.  Having heard this wisdom in our ears and our hearts, we must now bravely proclaim from the housetops: to all those we meet, so that they too can benefit from our experiences.

What have you heard in the dark of these past months?  What nourishment have you uncovered and pondered?  How has your life changed?  Is there wisdom in these experiences that can now be proclaimed from housetops?

***
Today, in Canada and in many other parts of the world, we celebrate Father's Day.  It is perhaps fitting that on this day, we have returned to our Father's house and resumed the customary gatherings for the celebration of the Eucharist.  Let us hold all our fathers in tender prayer today:

Lord, we thank you for the gift of our fathers, our uncles, our grandfathers ... for their wisdom, for their guidance, for the love.  We thank you as well for the gift of all those who are expectant fathers, all those who have known the pain of losing children, all those who find it difficult to provide the example of fatherly care to those who are entrusted to them.  Be close to all of them this day and help them to turn to you for wisdom and guidance, we pray through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Ce que je vous dis dans les ténèbres

Jésus cite une image curieuse dans l'évangile d'aujourd'hui. Il dit à ses apôtres et à nous aussi: Ce que je vous dis dans les ténèbres, dites-le en pleine lumière; ce que vous entendez au creux de l'oreille, proclamez-le sur les toits (Mt 10, 27). Au début du mois de mars, les premiers cas de COVID-19 ont été signalés au Canada et, peu de temps après, des mesures drastiques ont été mises en place qui ont changé le monde tel que nous le connaissons. Depuis ce temps, nous vivons dans les ténèbres. Bien que nous recevions constamment des informations de la science au sujet de cette maladie, beaucoup d'entre nous ont reconnu des changements dans nos vies au cours des derniers mois alors que nous avons dû être socialement éloignés de nos proches, des communautés paroissiales et des amis que nous étions habitués à voir.

Cette fin de semaine, partout en Ontario, les églises catholiques ouvrent enfin leurs portes et recommencent à accueillir les gens qui se rassemblent pour la célébration de l'Eucharistie. Beaucoup de choses ont changé dans un souci de protection mutuelle: de nouvelles procédures ont été mises en place et le déroulement de la liturgie telle que nous la connaissons a dû être adapté afin de respecter les conseils que nous avons reçus des autorités en soins de santé. Pourtant, la bonne nouvelle c'est que nous pouvons recommencer à nous rassembler, à écouter la Parole de Dieu et à y trouver la nourriture spirituelle que nous recherchons afin d'être de fidèles disciples du Christ.

À l'avenir, nous réfléchirons sur l'expérience de ces derniers mois. Peut-être, après avoir connu cette interruption dans la routine de notre vie quotidienne, nous découvrirons la sagesse que nous avons acquise. Jésus nous encourage à écouter attentivement la sagesse qu'il nous offre, en particulier dans les moments sombres de notre vie, car c'est souvent dans de tels moments que nous découvrons vraiment la valeur de la sagesse. Ayant entendu cette sagesse à nos oreilles et dans nos cœurs, nous devons maintenant la proclamer courageusement des toits à tous ceux que nous rencontrons, afin qu’eux aussi puissent bénéficier de notre vécu.

Qu'avez-vous entendu dans l'obscurité de ces derniers mois? Quelle nourriture avez-vous découverte? Comment ta vie a-t-elle changé? Y a-t-il de la sagesse dans ces expériences qui peuvent maintenant être proclamées sur les toits?

***
Aujourd'hui, au Canada et dans de nombreuses autres parties du monde, nous célébrons la fête des pères. Il est peut-être approprié que ce jour-ci, nous soyons revenus à la maison de notre Père pour reprendre les rassemblements habituels pour la célébration de l'Eucharistie. Gardons tous nos pères dans une tendre prière aujourd'hui:

Seigneur, nous te remercions pour le don de nos pères, nos oncles, nos grands-pères ... pour leur sagesse, pour leurs conseils, pour leur amour. Nous te remercions également pour le don de tous ceux qui sont des pères attentifs, de tous ceux qui ont connu la douleur de perdre des enfants, de tous ceux qui ont du mal à donner l'exemple des soins paternels à ceux qui leur sont confiés. Soit proche d'eux tous aujourd'hui et aide-les à se tourner vers Toi pour obtenir la sagesse et des conseils, nous Te prions par le Christ notre Seigneur. Amen.

Angelus for Corpus Christi

At noon today in Rome (6:00am EDT), the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study inside the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful and with pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's Square.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

prior to the recitation of the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today, in Italy and in other nations, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi, is celebrated. In the second reading for today’s liturgy, Saint Paul describes the Eucharistic celebration (cf 1 Cor 10:16-17). He highlights two effects of the shared chalice and the broken bread: the mystical effect and the communal effect.

First, the Apostle states that: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (1 Cor: 10: 16). These words express the mystical, or let us say, spiritual effect of the Eucharist: it relates to the union with Christ, who in the bread and the wine offers Himself for the salvation of all. Jesus is present in the sacrament of the Eucharist to be our nourishment, to be assimilated and to become in us that renewing force that gives once again the energy and the desire to set out again after every pause or after every fall. But this requires our assent, our willingness to let ourselves be transformed – our way of thinking and acting. Otherwise the Eucharistic celebrations in which we participate are reduced to empty and formal rites. And many times, someone goes to Mass because they have to go, as if it is a social event, respectful but social. But the mystery is something else. It is Jesus who is present, who comes to nourish us.

The second effect is the communal one and is expressed by Saint Paul in these words: Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body (1 Cor 10: 17). It is the mutual communion of those who participate in the Eucharist, to the point of becoming one body together, in the same way that one loaf is broken and distributed. We are a community, nourished by the body and blood of Christ. Communion with the body of Christ is an effective sign of unity, of communion, of sharing. One cannot participate in the Eucharist without committing oneself to mutual fraternity – that it be sincere. But the Lord knows well that our human strength alone is not enough for this. On the contrary, He knows that there will always be the temptation of rivalry, envy, prejudice, division ... among His disciples. We are all aware of all these things. For this reason too He left us the Sacrament of His real, tangible and permanent Presence, so that, remaining united to Him, we may always receive the gift of fraternal love. Remain in my love (Jn 15:9), Jesus said. And it is possible thanks to the Eucharist. Remain in friendship, in love.

This dual fruit of the Eucharist: first, union with Christ and second, communion between those who are nourished by Him, generates and continually renews the Christian community. It is the Church that makes the Eucharist, but it is more fundamental that the Eucharist makes the Church, and allows her to be her mission, even before she accomplishes it. This is the mystery of communion, of the Eucharist: to receive Jesus so He might transform us from within and to receive Jesus so that in Him we might be united, not divided.

May the Blessed Virgin help us to always welcome with wonder and gratitude the great gift that Jesus gave us by leaving us the Sacrament of His Body and His Blood.

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After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:

Dear brothers and sisters,

I am following the dramatic situation in Libya with great apprehension and sorrow. It has been present in my prayer in recent days. Please, I urge international bodies and those who have political and military responsibilities to recommence with conviction and resolve the search for a path towards an end to the violence, leading to peace, stability and unity in the country. I also pray for the thousands of migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons in Libya. The health situation has aggravated the already precarious conditions in which they find themselves, making them more vulnerable to forms of exploitation and violence. There is cruelty. I call on the international community to please take their plight to heart, identifying pathways and providing means to provide them with the protection they need, a dignified condition and a hopeful future. Brothers and sisters, we are all responsible for this. No one can consider him or herself dispensed from this. Let us all pray for Libya in silence.

Today is World Blood Donor Day. It is an opportunity to encourage society to be in solidarity and sensitivity to those in need. I greet the volunteers present and express my appreciation to all those who perform this simple but very important act of helping others: to donate blood.

I greet all of you, members of the faithful from Rome and pilgrims. I wish you, and all those connected via the media, a good Sunday. Please do not forget to pray for me. Have a good lunch, and good bye.

Mass in Rome for Corpus Christi

At 9:45am this morning, the Solemnity of Corpus Domini - the Body and Blood of the Lord - the Holy Father, Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass at the Altar of the Chair, inside Saint Peter's Basilica.

Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

during the celebration of the Mass

Remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you (Deut 8:2). Today’s Scripture readings begin with this command of Moses: Remember! Shortly afterwards Moses reiterates: Do not forget the Lord, your God (Deut 8:14). Scripture has been given to us that we might overcome our forgetfulness of God. How important it is to remember this when we pray! As one of the Psalms teach us: I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old (Ps 77:11). But all those wonders too, that the Lord has worked in our own lives.

It is vital to remember the good we have received. If we do not remember it, we become strangers to ourselves, passers-by of existence. Without memory, we uproot ourselves from the soil that nourishes us and allow ourselves to be carried away like leaves in the wind. If we do remember, however, we bind ourselves afresh to the strongest of ties; we feel part of a living history, the living experience of a people. Memory is not something private; it is the path that unites us to God and to others. This is why in the Bible the memory of the Lord must be passed on from generation to generation. Fathers are commanded to tell the story to their sons, as we read in a beautiful passage. When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord our God has commanded you?’, then you shall say to your son, ‘We were slaves… (think of the whole history of slavery!), and the Lord showed signs and wonders… before our eyes’ (Deut 6:20-22). You shall hand down this memory to your son.

But there is a problem: what if the chain of transmission of memories is interrupted? And how can we remember what we have only heard, unless we have also experienced it? God knows how difficult it is, he knows how weak our memory is, and he has done something remarkable: he left us a memorial. He did not just leave us words, for it is easy to forget what we hear. He did not just leave us the Scriptures, for it is easy to forget what we read. He did not just leave us signs, for we can forget even what we see. He gave us Food, for it is not easy to forget something we have actually tasted. He left us Bread in which he is truly present, alive and true, with all the flavour of his love. Receiving him we can say: He is the Lord; he remembers me! That is why Jesus told us: Do this in remembrance of me (1 Cor 11:24). Do! The Eucharist is not simply an act of remembrance; it is a fact: the Lord’s Passover is made present once again for us. In Mass the death and resurrection of Jesus are set before us. Do this in remembrance of me: come together and celebrate the Eucharist as a community, as a people, as a family, in order to remember me. We cannot do without the Eucharist, for it is God’s memorial. And it heals our wounded memory.

The Eucharist first heals our orphaned memory. We are living at a time of great orphanage. The Eucharist heals orphaned memory. So many people have memories marked by a lack of affection and bitter disappointments caused by those who should have given them love and instead orphaned their hearts. We would like to go back and change the past, but we cannot. God, however, can heal these wounds by placing within our memory a greater love: his own love. The Eucharist brings us the Father’s faithful love, which heals our sense of being orphans. It gives us Jesus’ love, which transformed a tomb from an end to a beginning, and in the same way can transform our lives. It fills our hearts with the consoling love of the Holy Spirit, who never leaves us alone and always heals our wounds.

Through the Eucharist, the Lord also heals our negative memory, that negativity which seeps so often into our hearts. The Lord heals this negative memory, which drags to the surface things that have gone wrong and leaves us with the sorry notion that we are useless, that we only make mistakes, that we are ourselves a mistake. Jesus comes to tell us that this is not so. He wants to be close to us. Every time we receive him, he reminds us that we are precious, that we are guests he has invited to his banquet, friends with whom he wants to dine. And not only because he is generous, but because he is truly in love with us. He sees and loves the beauty and goodness that we are. The Lord knows that evil and sins do not define us; they are diseases, infections. And he comes to heal them with the Eucharist, which contains the antibodies to our negative memory. With Jesus, we can become immune to sadness. We will always remember our failures, troubles, problems at home and at work, our unrealized dreams. But their weight will not crush us because Jesus is present even more deeply, encouraging us with his love. This is the strength of the Eucharist, which transforms us into bringers of God, bringers of joy, not negativity. We who go to Mass can ask: What is it that we bring to the world? Is it our sadness and bitterness, or the joy of the Lord? Do we receive Holy Communion and then carry on complaining, criticizing and feeling sorry for ourselves? This does not improve anything, whereas the joy of the Lord can change lives.

Finally, the Eucharist heals our closed memory. The wounds we keep inside create problems not only for us, but also for others. They make us fearful and suspicious. We start with being closed, and end up cynical and indifferent. Our wounds can lead us to react to others with detachment and arrogance, in the illusion that in this way we can control situations. Yet that is indeed an illusion, for only love can heal fear at its root and free us from the self-centredness that imprisons us. And that is what Jesus does. He approaches us gently, in the disarming simplicity of the Host. He comes as Bread broken in order to break open the shells of our selfishness. He gives of himself in order to teach us that only by opening our hearts can we be set free from our interior barriers, from the paralysis of the heart.

The Lord, offering himself to us in the simplicity of bread, also invites us not to waste our lives in chasing the myriad illusions that we think we cannot do without, yet that leave us empty within. The Eucharist satisfies our hunger for material things and kindles our desire to serve. It raises us from our comfortable and lazy lifestyle and reminds us that we are not only mouths to be fed, but also his hands, to be used to help feed others. It is especially urgent now to take care of those who hunger for food and for dignity, of those without work and those who struggle to carry on. And this we must do in a real way, as real as the Bread that Jesus gives us. Genuine closeness is needed, as are true bonds of solidarity. In the Eucharist, Jesus draws close to us: let us not turn away from those around us!

Dear brothers and sisters, let us continue our celebration of Holy Mass: the Memorial that heals our memory. Let us never forget: the Mass is the Memorial that heals memory, the memory of the heart. The Mass is the treasure that should be foremost both in the Church and in our lives. And let us also rediscover Eucharistic adoration, which continues the work of the Mass within us. This will do us much good, for it heals us within. Especially now, when our need is so great.
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Bread from Heaven

Here is the reflection I shared during the Masses for this weekend: celebrating Saint Anthony of Padua and Corpus Christi Sunday.

Bread from Heaven

June 13 marks the liturgical memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, a Franciscan preacher who was born in Lisbon (Portugal) but who is perhaps most famous in Italy.  Saint Anthony was a very gifted preacher and is still highly revered, especially for his great love for the poor.  In many places where his memory is evoked, people will bring bread as an expression of their devotion.  This bread is blessed and then distributed to the poor.  Perhaps it is also significant that on this weekend, when we remember and pray with this great saint, we also celebrate Jesus who is present among us in the form of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

The first reading for today's Mass, taken from the Book of Deuteronomy, reminds us of the lives of our ancestors in faith who travelled with Moses in the desert.  For forty days and forty nights, the Lord led them in the wilderness, in order to humble them, testing them in order to know their hearts, whether or not they would keep his commandments (cf Deut 8: 2).  For more than three months now, our lives have been changed as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus.  Many aspects of our daily lives have not only been interrupted, but we have had to learn a new way of living.  For many of us, it has indeed seemed like a long journey through the wilderness.  Along the way, we have recognized a growing hunger for social and community events which have been so drastically changed, and most especially, our parish community.

Throughout this time, the Lord has not abandoned us.  For many of us, the inability to attend the weekly celebrations of the Eucharist in person have caused us to be increasingly aware of our hunger for the Eucharist.  Through the use of modern-day technology, we have tried to provide manna - the bread of heaven - to as many of you in a safe manner.  When this pandemic began, many of us were unacquainted with the power of technology.  Never before have we turned in such vast numbers to Facebook Live, to YouTube and to other means of technology in order to remain connected to our faith.  These new ways of celebrating will remain with us now, but even though we have been able to partake in this way, we still hunger for the Eucharist.

It is fitting that on this weekend, while we celebrate Jesus who is the living bread that came down from heaven (Jn 6: 51), I also have the great pleasure to confirm the announcement that was made by our diocesan Bishop that all Catholic churches in this Diocese will open our doors next weekend: in time for Fathers' Day.  We are still hard at work preparing to welcome you.  Our lives have already changed in many ways over these past few months, and you will also notice some changes that we have had to implement in order to keep us all safe.  There will still be three Masses celebrated each weekend, but the times will be slightly different: we will celebrate the Lord's day with Masses on Saturday at 4:00pm (English) and on Sunday at 9:30am (French) and at 11:30am (English) and at least for a little while, we will have to limit the number of people who can attend the Mass in person.  Because of the restrictions of social distancing, we will only be able to accommodate 50 people at each Mass.  In order to be fair, we will be contacting you to register your names for the Masses that you will attend, and you may not be able to be physically present from one week to another.  Fear not!  We will continue to live stream the Masses as we have been doing since this pandemic first arrived, so you will still be able to participate virtually, even if you need to stay home.  Please check our website (stebernadette.org) for more information about how we are preparing to welcome you.

Dear friends, the words of Saint Paul's letter to the Corinthians are just as true today as they ever have been: The cup of blessing that we bless is ... a sharing in the Blood of Christ ... and the bread that we break is ... a sharing in the body of Christ (1 Cor 10: 16).  Let us give thanks today for the great gift of the Eucharist, and let us look with hope to the day when we will gather once again around the Lord's table to receive this precious gift.

Le pain du ciel

Le 13 juin marque la mémoire liturgique de Saint Antoine de Padoue, prédicateur franciscain né à Lisbonne (Portugal) mais qui est encore plus célèbre en Italie. Saint Antoine était un prédicateur très doué et il est toujours très vénéré, surtout à cause de son grand amour pour les pauvres. Dans de nombreux endroits où sa mémoire est évoquée, les gens apporteront du pain comme expression de leur dévotion. Ce pain est béni puis distribué aux pauvres. Il est peut-être également significatif que cette fin de semaine, lorsque nous nous souvenons et prions avec ce grand saint, nous célébrons également Jésus qui est présent parmi nous sous la forme du Saint-Sacrement du Corps et du Sang du Christ.

La première lecture de cette messe, tirée du Livre du Deutéronome, nous rappelle la vie de nos ancêtres qui ont marché avec Moïse dans le désert. Pendant quarante jours et quarante nuits, le Seigneur les a conduits, afin de les faire passer par la pauvreté ... les mettre à l'épreuve et afin de savoir ce qu'ils avait dans le coeur : s'ils allaient garder ses commandements, oui ou non (cf Deut 8, 2).  Depuis plus de trois mois, nos vies ont changé à cause du coronavirus. De nombreux aspects de notre vie quotidienne ont non seulement été interrompus, mais nous avons dû apprendre une nouvelle façon de vivre. Pour beaucoup d'entre nous, cela a en effet semblé être un long voyage à travers le désert. En cours de route, nous avons reconnu une faim grandissante pour les événements sociaux et communautaires qui ont radicalement changé, et plus particulièrement, notre communauté paroissiale.

Pendant tout ce temps, le Seigneur ne nous a pas abandonnés. Pour beaucoup d’entre nous, l’incapacité d’assister personnellement à la messe dominicale nous a fait prendre de plus en plus conscience de notre faim de l'Eucharistie. Grâce à l'utilisation de la technologie moderne, nous avons essayé de fournir de la manne - c'est à dire le pain du ciel - au plus grand nombre d'entre vous toute en vous gardant en toute sécurité. Lorsque cette pandémie a commencé, bon nombre d'entre nous ne connaissaient pas le pouvoir de la technologie. Jamais auparavant nous ne nous sommes tournés en si grand nombre vers Facebook Live, YouTube et d'autres moyens technologiques afin d'être branchés à notre foi. Ces nouvelles façons de célébrer font parti de notre routine maintenant, mais même si nous avons pu participer de cette manière, nous avons toujours faim de l'Eucharistie.

En cette fin de semaine, alors que nous célébrons Jésus qui est le pain vivant qui est descendu du ciel (Jn 6, 51), j'ai également le grand plaisir de confirmer l'annonce faite par notre évêque diocésain que toutes les églises catholiques dans ce diocèse ouvriront leurs portes la fin de semaine prochaine: à temps pour la fête des pères. Nous sommes toujours à pied d'œuvre pour vous accueillir. Nos vies ont déjà changé à bien des égards au cours des derniers mois, et vous remarquerez également certains changements que nous avons dû mettre en œuvre afin de nous garder tous en sécurité. Il y aura toujours trois messes célébrées chaque fin de semaine, mais les horaires seront légèrement différents: nous célébrerons le jour du Seigneur avec des messes le samedi à 16h (anglais) et le dimanche à 9h30 (français) ainsi qu'à 11h30 (anglais) et au moins pour un peu de temps, nous devrons limiter le nombre de personnes qui peuvent assister à la messe en personne. En raison des restrictions de la distanciation social, nous ne pourrons accueillir que 50 personnes à chaque messe. Afin d'être juste, nous vous contacterons pour enregistrer vos noms en guise de preparation pour les messes auxquelles vous assisterez, et il se peut que vous ne pourrez pas être physiquement présent d'une semaine à l'autre afin de permettre à tout le monde d'avoir une occasion d'y assister au moins une fois le mois. N'ayez pas peur! Nous continuerons à diffuser les messes en direct comme nous l'avons fait depuis le début de cette pandémie, de sorte que vous pourrez toujours participer virtuellement, même si vous devez rester à la maison. Veuillez consulter notre site web (stebernadette.org) pour de plus amples renseignements au sujet de la façon dont nous nous préparons à vous accueillir.

Chers amis, les paroles de la lettre de Saint Paul aux Corinthiens sont aussi vraies aujourd'hui qu'elles ne l'ont jamais été: la coupe de bénédiction que nous bénissons est ... communion au sang du Christ ... et le pain que nous rompons est ... communion au corps de Christ (1 Co 10, 16). Rendons grâce aujourd'hui pour le grand don de l'Eucharistie et envisageons avec espoir le jour où nous nous réunirons à nouveau autour de la table du Seigneur pour recevoir ce don précieux.

Complete mystery

Here is the text of the homily I prepared for this weekend's celebrations of Trinity Sunday.  This always provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the great gift that we have been given - our God is One, but made known to us in three persons.

Complete mystery

Today, the Church celebrates Trinity Sunday.  Once a year, on the Sunday after Pentecost, we focus our attention on God who is One, but who has been made known to us in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  The readings that we have just heard help us to understand who God is in light of this mystery and to comprehend what God does for us.

In the Book of Exodus, we hear the story of Moses who rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai as God had commanded him to do ... The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there ... (Ex 34: 4-5).  Moses went up the mountain and God came down to meet him.  This is always the way.  We look to God for guidance, and he comes to us in order to reveal his mercy, his love, his faithfulness and his patience to us.  Whenever we ask God for the things we need, he answers us.  Sometimes his answers don't come immediately, and sometimes the answers are not as clearly defined as they were when they were chiseled into the stone tablets, but God always answers our prayers.

In the fullness of time, God revealed his plan for our salvation by sending Jesus his Son into the world.  Jesus took on human flesh so that we would be able to see him, to recognize his presence among us, to encounter the love that God has always had for us, his beloved children.  Through his life, death and resurrection, Jesus gave us an example of how we too can love God ... and how we can love one another.

After Jesus had risen from the dead, and after he had ascended to heaven, God the Father and God the Son sent us the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Our life in Jesus is a participation in this mystery which is beyond the limits of our understanding, but Saint Paul's letter to the Corinthians gives us some clarity about how we should live our lives.  He says that we should always strive to agree with one another, to live in peace with God and with one another (2 Cor 13: 11).  In order to help us do this, we must open our hearts and pray for the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 13: 13) to be shared with us in great abundance.

Today, let us rejoice as we celebrate the great love that God has for each of us.  Our God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him (Jn 3: 16).  This is the good news that has been proclaimed to us.  We should strive to live it joyfully every day.

Un mystère

Aujourd'hui, l'Église célèbre le dimanche de la Trinité. Une fois par année, le dimanche après la Pentecôte, nous fixons notre attention sur Dieu qui est Un, mais qui nous a été révélé en trois personnes: le Père, le Fils et le Saint-Esprit. À la lumière des lectures que nous venons d'entendre nous pouvons mieux comprendre qui est Dieu et ce que Dieu fait pour nous.

Dans le Livre de l'Exode, nous rencontrons l'histoire de Moïse qui se leva de bon matin, et ... gravit la montagne du Sinaï comme le Seigneur le lui avait ordonné ... Le Seigneur descendit dans la nuée et vint se placer là ... (Ex 34, 4-5).  Moïse est monté sur la montagne et Dieu est descendu à sa rencontre. C'est toujours ainsi. Nous nous tournons vers Dieu et il vient à nous pour nous révéler sa miséricorde, son amour, sa fidélité et sa patience. Chaque fois que nous demandons à Dieu les choses dont nous avons besoin, il nous répond. Parfois, ses réponses ne viennent pas immédiatement, et parfois les réponses ne sont pas définies aussi clairement qu'elles l'étaient lorsqu'elles ont été gravées dans les tablettes de pierre, mais Dieu répond toujours à nos prières.

Quand est venu l'accomplissement du temps, Dieu a révélé son plan pour notre salut en envoyant Jésus son Fils dans le monde. Jésus a pris la chair humaine pour que nous puissions le voir, pour que nous puissions reconnaître sa présence parmi nous, pour que nous puissions rencontrer l'amour avec lequel notre Seigneur nous a toujours aimé, nous qui sommes ses enfants bien-aimés. Par sa vie, sa mort et sa résurrection, Jésus nous a donné un exemple de la façon dont nous pouvons aussi aimer Dieu ... et comment nous pouvons nous aimer les uns les autres.

Après que Jésus soit ressuscité d'entre les morts et après qu'il soit monté au ciel, Dieu le Père et Dieu le Fils nous ont envoyé le don du Saint-Esprit. Notre vie en Jésus est une participation à ce mystère qui est au-delà des limites de notre compréhension, mais la lettre que Saint Paul a adressée aux Corinthiens nous donne une certaine lumière sur la façon dont nous devons vivre notre vie. Il dit que nous devons toujours nous efforcer d'être d'accord les uns avec les autres, de vivre en paix (cf 2 Co 13, 11). Pour nous y aider, nous devons ouvrir nos cœurs et prier pour que la grâce du Seigneur Jésus-Christ, l'amour de Dieu le Père et la communion du Saint-Esprit (2 Co 13, 13) soient avec nous tous, et cela en abondance.

Aujourd'hui, réjouissons-nous en célébrant le grand amour que Dieu a pour chacun de nous. Dieu a envoyé le Fils dans le monde, non pas pour juger le monde, mais pour que, par lui, le monde soit sauvé (Jn 3, 16). Telle est la bonne nouvelle qui nous a été proclamée. Nous devons nous efforcer de le vivre joyeusement chaque jour.

Angelus: God's plan for salvation

At noon today in Rome (6:00am EDT), the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful and with pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's Square.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

prior to the recitation of the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today's Gospel (cf Jn 3: 16-18), for the feast of the Holy Trinity, shows - in the synthetic language of the apostle John - the mystery of God's love for the world, his creation. In the brief dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus presents himself as the One who completes the Father's plan of salvation for the world. He says: God loved the world so much that he gave the only-begotten Son (Jn 3: 16). These words indicate that the action of the three divine Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - is all one single plan of love that saves humanity and the world, it is a plan of salvation for us.

God created this good, beautiful world, but after sin, the world is marked by evil and corruption. We men and women are sinners, all of us, therefore God could intervene to judge the world, to destroy evil and chastise sinners. Instead, He loves the world, despite our sins; God loves each one of us even when we are wrong and we turn away from him. God the Father loves the world so much that, to save him, he gives what is most precious: his only-begotten Son, who gives his life for us, then rises, goes back to the Father and together with him sends the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Trinity is Love, all at the service of the world, and he wants to save and recreate us. Today, thinking of God the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit, we think of the love of God! And it would be nice if we felt loved. God loves me: this is the sentiment for today.

When Jesus says that the Father gave his only-begotten Son, we spontaneously think of Abraham and his offering of his son Isaac, of whom the book of Genesis speaks (cf Gn 22: 1-14): here is the measure without measure love of God. And we also think of how God reveals himself to Moses: full of tenderness, merciful, compassionate, slow to anger and rich in grace and faithfulness (cf Ex 34: 6). This encounter with God encouraged Moses, who, as the book of Exodus narrates, was not afraid to stand between the people and the Lord, saying to him: Yes, this is a people with a stiff neck, but you forgive our guilt and our sin: make us your inheritance (Ex 34: 9). And so did God, by sending his Son. We are His children in the Son with the power of the Holy Spirit! We are the legacy of God!

Dear brothers and sisters, today's feast invites us to let ourselves be fascinated again by the beauty of God; beauty, goodness and inexhaustible truth. But also beauty, goodness and humble truth, close to us, God who took on flesh in order to enter our life, our history, my history, the history of each of us, so that every man and woman could meet him and have eternal life. And this is faith: to welcome God-who-is-Love, to welcome this God-who-is-Love who gives himself in Christ, who makes us move in the Holy Spirit; let yourself be met by him and trust in him. This is the Christian life. To love, to meet God, to seek God; and He looks for us first, He meets us first.

May the Virgin Mary, abode of the Trinity, help us to welcome the love of God with an open heart, which fills us with joy and gives meaning to our journey in this world, always directing us to the goal that is Heaven.

Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:

Dear brothers and sisters,

I greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims: individual faithful, families, and religious communities. And your presence in the square is also a sign that in Italy the acute phase of the epidemic is over, even if the need remains - but be careful, don't sing victory first, don't sing victory too soon! - to follow the current rules carefully, because they are rules that help us to prevent the virus from moving forward. Thank God we are leaving the hardest part behind, but always with the prescriptions that the authorities give us. But unfortunately in other countries - I think of some - the virus is still taking many victims. Last Friday, in one country, one person died per minute! Terrible. I wish to express my closeness to those populations, to the sick and to their families, and to all those who take care of them. With our prayer let's get closer to them.

The month of June is dedicated in a special way to the Heart of Christ, a devotion that unites the great spiritual teachers and the simple people of God. In fact, the human and divine Heart of Jesus is the source where we can always draw mercy, forgiveness, the tenderness of God. We can do it by dwelling on a passage of the Gospel, feeling the love of the Holy Spirit that is within us at the centre of every gesture, of every word spoken by Jesus: at the center is love, the love of the Father who sent the his Son, the love of the Holy Spirit that is within us. And we can do this by adoring the Eucharist, where this love is present in the Blessed Sacrament. Then also our hearts, little by little, will become more patient, more generous, more merciful, in imitation of the Heart of Jesus. There is an ancient prayer - I learned it from my grandmother - that says this: Jesus, make my heart look like yours. It is a beautiful prayer. Make my heart look like yours. This is a beautiful prayer, a little one, for us to pray this month. Shall we say it together now?  Jesus, make my heart look like yours. Once more: Jesus, make my heart look like yours.

I wish you all a good Sunday.  I was going to say a good and warm Sunday.  A good Sunday.  Please, don't forget to pray for me.  Enjoy your lunch and good bye.

Video Message sent to Scholas Occurrentes

The Holy Father has sent a video message at the conclusion of a virtual meeting with young people, parents and teachers from all corners of the world which was organized by the Scholas Occurrentes Foundation to mark World Environment Day.

Video Message of His Holiness, Pope Francis

addressed to members of the

Scholas Occurrentes Foundation

Dear brothers and sisters from Scholas,

Today, after all these years of sharing the question that sets us up, it is a great joy to be able to call you a community: A community of friends, a community of brothers and sisters.

I still remember the origins of Scholas: two teachers, two teachers, in the midst of a crisis, with a little madness and a little intuition. An unplanned thing, lived as they walked.

When the crisis back then left a land of violence, that education brought young people together, generating meaning and therefore, generating beauty.

Three images of this path come to my heart, which were three images that guided three years of reflection and encounter: the madman of La strada by Fellini, The call of Matthew by Caravaggio and The idiot by Dostoevskij.

The Sense —the madman—, the Call —Matthew— and Beauty.

The three stories are the stories of a crisis. And in all three, therefore, human responsibility is at stake. Crisis originally means break, cut, opening, danger, but also opportunity.

When the roots need space to continue growing, the pot ends up breaking.

The fact is that this life is bigger than our own life and, therefore, it breaks. But that's life! It grows, it breaks.

Poor mankind without any crisis! All perfect, all tidy, all starched. Poor. It would be, let's think about it, such a humanity would be a sick humanity, very sick. Thank God it doesn't happen. It would be a sleeping humanity.

On the other hand, just as the crisis finds us by calling us to open ourselves, the danger happens when we are not taught to relate to that openness. So crises if they are not well accompanied are dangerous, because one can be disoriented. And the advice of the wise, even for small personal, marital, and social crises is this: never go into the crisis alone, be sure to be accompanied by someone else.

There, in the crisis, fear invades us, we close ourselves off as individuals, or we start repeating what very few things we are good for, emptying ourselves of meaning, covering up our own calling, losing our beauty. This is what happens when you go through a crisis alone, without reservation. This beauty that, as Dostoevskij said, will save the world.

Scholas was born out of a crisis, but we did not raise our fists to fight with the culture, nor did we lower our arms to resign ourselves, nor did we go out crying: What a calamity, what terrible times! We went out to listen to the hearts of young people, to cultivate the new reality. This is not working? Let's go look there.

Scholas peeks through the fissures of the world —not with its head— with its whole body, to see if another answer comes back from the open.

And that is the process of educating. Education listens, or it does not educate. If you don't listen, you don't educate. Education creates culture, or it does not educate. Education teaches us to celebrate, or it does not educate.

Can anyone tell me. But how is educating not knowing things? No. That is knowing. But educating is listening, creating culture, celebrating.

And Scholas grew from there.

Not even these two madmen - the founding fathers, we can tell them by their laughter - imagined that that educational experience in the diocese of Buenos Aires, after twenty years, would grow as a new culture, poetically inhabiting this land, as Hölderlin taught us. Listening, creating and celebrating life. That new culture poetically inhabiting this earth.

Harmonizing the language of thought with feelings and actions. You have heard me speak about this several times: the language of the head, heart and hands, synchronized. Head, heart and hands growing harmoniously.

I saw in Scholas, Japanese teachers and students dancing with Colombians. That is impossible! But I saw it. I saw the youth of Israel playing with the youth of Palestine. I saw it. The students of Haiti thinking with those of Dubai. The children of Mozambique painting with those of Portugal ... I saw, between East and West, an olive tree creating a culture of encounter.

For this reason, in this new crisis that humanity is facing today, where culture has shown that it has lost its vitality, I want to celebrate Scholas, as a community that educates, as an intuition that grows, opens the doors of the University of Sense ... because educating is about looking for the meaning of things. It is about teaching others how to find the meaning of things.

Bringing together the dreams of children and young people with the experience of adults and older people. That meeting must always take place if humanity is to continue, because if there are no roots, if there is no history, there is no promise, there is no growth, there are no dreams, there is no prophecy.

You msut be students of all realities, languages and beliefs, because nobody is left out when what is taught is not a thing, but Life. The same life that originates in us and which will always bring about other worlds. Different, unique worlds, as we are also different and unique. In our deepest pains, joys, desires and nostalgias. Worlds of Gratitude, Meaning and Beauty. The idiot, the call of Caravaggio and the madman of La strada.

Never forget these last three words, free, meaning and beauty. They may seem useless!, especially nowadays. Who starts creating a company looking for something that is free, looking for meaning and looking for beauty? These traits are not productive, they do not produce anything. And yet, all of humanity, our entire future depends on these things that seem so useless.

Go ahead, take away that mystique that was given, that no one invented; and the first to be surprised were these two madmen who founded it. And that's why they deliver it, they give it, because it's not theirs. It is something that came as a gift. Keep on planting and harvesting, with a smile, with risk, but all together and always hand in hand in order to overcome any crisis.

May God bless you.  And, please, don't forget to pray for me.  Thank you very much.
Texto original en español

Greetings for World Environment Day

The Holy Father, Pope Francis has sent a Letter to the President of the Republic of Colombia, His Excellency, Iván Duque Márquez, on the occasion of World Environment Day which is observed on 5 June and which is being hosted virtually by Colombia, focused on the theme of biodiversity.

Letter of His Holiness, Pope Francis

To His Excellency
Iván Duque Márquez
President of the Republic of Colombia

I am pleased to greet you, the organizers and the participants in the World Environment Day, which would have been held in person this year in Bogotá, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic will be held virtually. This challenging situation reminds us that in the face of adversity, new paths always open in order for us to be united as a great human family.

The protection of the environment and respect for the biodiversity of the planet are issues that affect us all. We cannot pretend to be healthy in a world that is sick. The wounds inflicted on our mother earth are wounds that also bleed in us. Caring for ecosystems demands a look to the future, one that is not concerned only with the immediate moment or that seeks a quick and easy profit, but rather one that is concerned for life and that seeks its preservation for the benefit of all.

Our attitude toward the present state of our planet should indeed make us concerned for and witnesses to the gravity of the situation. We cannot remain silent before the outcry when we realize the very high costs of the destruction and exploitation of the ecosystem. This is not a time to continue looking the other way, indifferent to the signs that our planet is being plundered and violated by greed for profit, very often in the name of progress. We have the chance to reverse course, to commit ourselves to a better, healthier world and to pass it on to future generations. Everything depends on us, if we really want it.

Recently we celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’, which drew attention to the cry that mother earth lifts up to us. I would also invite all of you to participate in the special Year that I have announced to reflect in light of that document and, together, to become more committed to the care and protection of our common home, and of our most vulnerable and marginalized brothers and sisters in society.

I encourage you in this task that lies before you. I trust that your deliberations and conclusions will always foster the building of an increasingly habitable world and a more humane society, where all of us have a place and no one is ever left behind.

I ask you, please, to pray for me. May Jesus bless you and the Blessed Virgin watch over you.

From the Vatican
5 June 2020
Francis
Texto original en español
Testo in italiano

General Audience on the prayer of Abraham

This morning's General Audience began at 9:30am local time in Rome (3:30am EDT) inside the Library at the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

In his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catechesis on prayer, adding his meditation on the theme: The prayer of Abraham (Gn 15: 1, 3-6).

After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular greetings to the faithful.

The General Audience concluded with the recitation of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic blessing.

Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

during the General Audience

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

There was a voice that suddenly resonated in Abraham's life. A voice that invited him to embark on a path that tasted of absurdity: a voice that spurred him to uproot himself from his homeland, from the roots of his family, to go towards a new future, a different future. And all based on a promise, which he just had to trust. And trusting a promise is not easy, it takes courage. And Abraham trusted.

The Bible is silent about the first patriarch's past. The logic of things suggests that he worshiped other deities; perhaps he was a wise man, accustomed to scrutinizing the sky and the stars. Indeed, the Lord promised him that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars that dotted the skies.

And Abraham set out. He listened to the voice of God and trusted in his word. This is important: he trusted the word of God. And with his departure, a new way of conceiving the relationship with God was born; it is for this reason that the patriarch Abraham is present in the great Jewish, Christian and Islamic spiritual traditions as the perfect man of God, capable of submitting to him, even when God's will proved difficult, if not incomprehensible.

Abraham is therefore the man of the Word. When God speaks, man becomes the receptor of that Word and his life becomes the place where God asks to be made incarnate. This is a great novelty in man's religious journey: the life of the believer begins by being conceived as a vocation, that is, as a call, a place where a promise is fulfilled; and he moves in the world not so much under the weight of an enigma, but with the strength of that promise, which one day will come true. And Abraham believed the promise of God. He believed and went forth, without knowing where he was going - this is what the Letter to the Hebrews says (cf Heb 11: 8). But he trusted.

Reading the book of Genesis, we discover how Abraham experienced his prayer in continuous fidelity to that Word, which periodically appeared along the way. In summary, we can say that in Abraham's life faith became history. Faith became history. Indeed, Abraham, with his life, with his example, teaches us this path, this path on which faith becomes history. God is no longer seen only in cosmic phenomena, like a distant Being, who can instil terror. The God of Abraham becomes my God, the God of my personal history, who guides my steps, who does not abandon me; the God of my days, the companion of my adventures; the God of Providence. I wonder and I ask you: do we have this experience of God? My God, the God who accompanies me, the God of my personal history, the God who guides my steps, who does not abandon me, the God of my days? Do we have this experience? Let's think about it.

Abraham's experience is also testified to by one of the most original texts in the history of spirituality: the Blaise Pascal Memorial. It begins like this: God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of philosophers and scholars. Certainty, certainty. Feeling. Joy. Peace. God of Jesus Christ. This memorial, written on a small parchment, and found after his death sewn inside a philosopher's suit, expresses not an intellectual reflection that a wise man like him could conceive of God, but the living, experienced sense of his presence. Pascal even noted the precise moment in which he felt that reality, having finally met it on the evening of November 23, 1654. This was not the abstract God or the cosmic God, no. He is the God of a person, of a call, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, the God who is certainty, who is feeling, who is joy.

Abraham's prayer is expressed first of all by actions: a man of silence, at every stage he builds an altar to the Lord (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2570). Abraham did not build a temple; instead, he scattered the path of stones that recalled the fact that God had passed by. A surprising God, as when He visited him in the figure of three guests, whom he and Sarah welcome and who announced the birth of their son Isaac (cf Gen 18: 1-15). Abraham was a hundred years old, and his wife ninety, more or less. And they believed, they trusted God. And Sarah, his wife, conceived. At that age! This is the God of Abraham, our God, who accompanies us.

So it was that Abraham became familiar with God, capable of arguing with him, but always faithful. He talked to God and he discussed things ... until the ultimate test, when God asked him to sacrifice his own son Isaac, the son of his old age, his only heir. Here Abraham lived his faith like a drama, like a groping walk in the night, under a sky this time that was without stars. And many times this happens to us too: we walk in the dark, but with faith. God himself stopped the hand of Abraham, which was already ready to strike, because he saw his truly total surrender (cf Gen 22: 1-19).

Brothers and sisters, we can learn from Abraham, we can learn to pray with faith: listen to the Lord, walk, enter into dialogue, have a discussion. We should not be afraid to argue with God! I will also say something that seems to be a heresy. Many times I have heard people saying to me: You know, this happened to me and I got angry with God - Did you have the courage to get angry with God? - Yes, I got angry - But this is a form of prayer. Because only a child is able to get angry with his father and then come back to him. We learn from Abraham how to pray with faith, to dialogue, to discuss, but how to always be willing to accept the word of God and put it into practice. With God, we learn to speak like a son with his dad: listen to him, answer, discuss. But be transparent, like a son with his dad. This is how Abraham teaches us to pray. Thank you.
Testo originale nella lingua italiana



The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages and His Holiness offered greetings to each group of the faithful who were following the Audience.  To French-speaking viewers, he said:

Je salue cordialement les personnes de langue française.  Alors que nous sommes entrés dans le temps liturgique ordinaire, nous sommes appelés, à l’exemple d’Abraham, à marcher quotidiennement en présence de Dieu, à demeurer à l’écoute de sa Parole, toujours prêts à l’accueillir et à la mettre en pratique.  Que Dieu vous bénisse.

I cordially all greet French-speaking people.  Since we have entered the liturgical season of Ordinary Time, we are called, like Abraham, to walk daily in the presence of God, to listen to his Word, always ready to welcome this Word and to put it into practice.  May God bless you.

To English-speaking viewers, he said:

I greet the English-speaking faithful joining us through the media.

Dear brothers and sisters in the United States, I have witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest in your nation in these past days, following the tragic death of Mister George Floyd.

My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life. At the same time, we have to recognize that the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost.

Today I join the Church in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and throughout the entire United States, in praying for the repose of the soul of George Floyd and of all those others who have lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism. Let us pray for consolation for their grieving families and friends and let us implore the national reconciliation and peace for which we yearn. May Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America, intercede for all those who are working for peace and justice in your land and throughout the world.

May God bless all of you and your families.

To German-speaking viewers, he said:

Von Herzen grüße ich die Gläubigen deutscher Sprache. Das Gebet lässt uns erfahren, dass Gott uns nahe ist und uns führt. Nehmen wir sein Wort gläubig und freudig auf und setzen es in die Tat um. Diesen Freitag begehen wir den Festtag des heiligen Bonifatius. Der Apostel Deutschlands helfe uns, den Herrn, unser Heil und unsere Hoffnung, durch unser Leben zu verkünden.

I warmly greet the German believers. Prayer lets us know that God is close to us and guides us. Let us take his word faithfully and joyfully and put it into practice. This Friday, we will celebrate the feast day of Saint Boniface. May the Apostle of Germany help you to proclaim the Lord our salvation and our hope through the gift of our lives.

To Spanish-speaking viewers, he said:

Saludo cordialmente a los fieles de lengua española que siguen esta catequesis a través de los medios de comunicación social. Pidamos al Señor que nos conceda aprender a orar con la misma fe de Abrahán, que seamos dóciles y disponibles a acoger su voluntad y a ponerla en práctica, como hijos e hijas que confían en su providencia paterna. Que Dios los bendiga.

I cordially greet the Spanish-speaking faithful who are following this catechesis through the media. Let us ask the Lord to grant us the grace to learn to pray with the same faith as Abraham, that we may be docile and available to accept his will and put it into practice, as sons and daughters who trust in his fatherly providence. God bless you.

To Portuguese-speaking viewers, he said:

Dirijo uma cordial saudação aos fiéis de língua portuguesa, encorajando-vos a procurar e encontrar Deus na oração: assim experimentareis a guia do Espírito Santo que fará de cada um de vós verdadeiras testemunhas da fé cristã na sociedade. De bom grado abençoo a vós e aos vossos entes queridos.

I extend a cordial greeting to the Portuguese-speaking faithful, encouraging you to seek and to find God in prayer:  In this way you will experience the guidance of the Holy Spirit who will make each of you true witnesses of the Christian faith in society. I gladly bless you and your loved ones.

To Arabic-speaking viewers, he said:

حيي جميع المؤمنين الناطقين باللغة العربية، المتابعين لهذه المقابلة عَبر وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي. كان إبراهيم رجل صلاة وصديق الله، فكان يقيم مذبحًا للربّ أينما ذهب. في صلاته كان قادرًا أن يجادل الله ولكنه بقي دائمًا أمينًا له، حتى في الاختبار الأسمى والأصعب، عندما طلب منه الله أن يضحي بابنه إسحاق. ليبارككم الربّ جميعًا ويحرسكم دائمًا من كل شر!

I greet all Arabic-speaking believers who are following this audience via social media. Abraham was a man of prayer and a friend of God, and he would make an altar to the Lord wherever he went. In his prayers, he was able to argue with God but he always remained faithful to Him, even when he was confronted with the highest and most difficult test, when God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac. May God bless you and keep you safe from all evil!

To Polish-speaking viewers, he said:

Serdecznie pozdrawiam wszystkich Polaków. Szczególne wyrazy mojej bliskości kieruję do młodych, którzy jednoczą się na modlitewnym czuwaniu i uwielbieniu w ramach XXIV Spotkania Młodych LEDNICA 2000. Tym razem tylko niewielu będzie mogło fizycznie zgromadzić się w pobliżu źródeł chrzcielnych Polski, ale liczni będą mogli w nim uczestniczyć za pośrednictwem środków przekazu. Wszyscy razem dziękujcie Bogu za dar Ducha Świętego, który ożywia w was entuzjazm wiary i czyni was świadkami radości tych, którzy starają się żyć w świetle Chrystusa zmartwychwstałego.

Niech towarzyszy wam Patron tych spotkań, św. Jan Paweł II, którego stulecie urodzin świętujemy w tym roku. Przyjmijcie za swoje jego motto: Totus tuus i, jak on, przeżywajcie waszą młodość, całkowicie zawierzając siebie Chrystusowi i Jego Matce, abyście z odwagą postępowali ku horyzontom przyszłości.

Podczas waszego spotkania dokonacie dość śmiałego gestu: pobłogosławicie swoich rodziców. Zróbcie to w pokornym geście miłości i wdzięczności za dar waszego życia i wiary. Jednoczę się z wami w modlitwie i proszę was: módlcie się także za mnie. Niech Bóg wam błogosławi!

I cordially greet all Poles. Special expressions of my closeness are extended to the young who are uniting in prayer and worship during the XXIV Youth Meeting of LEDNICA 2000. This time, only a few of you will be able to physically gather near the baptismal waters of Poland, but many will be able to participate through the media. Together, we thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, which revives in you the enthusiasm of faith and makes you witnesses to the joy of those who strive to live in the light of the risen Christ.

May the patron of these meetings - Saint John Paul II, whose 100th birthday we are celebrating this year - accompany you.  Take on his motto: Totus tuus and, like him, live your youth completely entrusting yourselves to Christ and His Mother, so that you may courageously move towards the horizons of the future.

During your meeting, you will make a fairly bold gesture: you will bless your parents. Do this in a humble gesture of love and gratitude for the gift of your life and your faith. I unite with you in prayer and I ask you: pray for me too. God bless you!

To Italian-speaking viewers, he said:

Saluto i fedeli di lingua italiana. La vicina festa della Santissima Trinità ci riconduce al mistero della vita intima di Dio Uno e Trino, centro della fede cristiana e ci stimola a trovare nell’amore di Dio il nostro conforto e la nostra pace interiore.

Rivolgo il mio pensiero agli anziani, ai giovani, ai malati e agli sposi novelli. Affidatevi allo Spirito Santo, “che è Signore e dà la vita” e siate aperti al suo amore così potrete trasformare la vostra vita, le vostre famiglie e le vostre comunità.

A tutti voi la mia benedizione!

I greet the Italian-speaking faithful. The coming feast of the Holy Trinity brings us back to the mystery of the intimate life of the One and Triune God, the centre of the Christian faith and it motivates us to find our comfort and inner peace in the love of God.

I address my thoughts to the elderly, to young people, to the sick and to newlyweds. Trust in the Holy Spirit, who is Lord and gives life and be open to his love so you can transform your life, your families and your communities.

My blessing to all of you!

50 years of Consecrated Virgins

Today, the Holy See Press Centre published the Holy Father's Message which was sent to Consecrated Sisters who are part of the Ordo Virginum (Consecrated Virgins) on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Promulgation of the Rite of Consecration of Virgins.

Message of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

on the occasion of the 50th anniversary

of the Rite of Consecration of Virgins

Dear Sisters!

1. Fifty years ago, the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, by mandate of Saint Paul VI, promulgated the new Rite of Consecration of Virgins. The current pandemic made it necessary to postpone the international meeting organized by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life to mark this important anniversary. Nevertheless, I wish to join you in giving thanks for what Saint John Paul II, addressing you on the twenty-fifth anniversary, referred to as a twofold gift of the Lord to his Church: the renewed Rite and an Ordo fidelium restored to the ecclesial community (Address to Participants in the International Conference on the Ordo Virginum, 2 June 1995).

Your form of life has its primary source in the Rite and its juridical configuration in Canon 604 of the Code of Canon Law, and, since 2018, in the Instruction Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago. Your vocation is a sign of the inexhaustible and manifold richness of the gifts of the Spirit of the Risen Lord, who makes all things new (cf Rev 21: 5). It is likewise a sign of hope, pointing to the fidelity of the Father, who even today awakens in the hearts of some women the desire to be consecrated to the Lord in virginity, lived out in a concrete social and cultural setting, rooted in a particular Church, and expressed in a way of life that is ancient, yet modern and ever new.

Accompanied by your Bishops, you have become increasingly conscious of the distinctive nature of your form of consecrated life and have come to realize that your consecration makes you a particular Ordo fidelium in the Church. Continue along this path of cooperation with the Bishops in the development of sound programmes of vocational discernment and of initial and ongoing formation. The gift of your vocation finds expression within the symphonic unity of the Church, which is built up when she can see in you women capable of living the gift of sisterhood.

2. Fifty years after the renewal of the Rite, I would say this to you: do not extinguish the prophetic nature of your vocation! You have been called, not because of your own merits, but by God’s mercy, to make your lives a reflection of the face of the Church, the Bride of Christ. The Church is a virgin because, albeit composed of sinners, she continues to preserve the faith intact, to bring forth new life and to foster the growth of a new humanity.

In union with the Spirit and together with the entire Church and all those who hear the word of God, you are called to surrender yourselves to Christ and to say to him: Come! (Rev 22: 17). In this way, you will experience the strength born of hearing his response: Surely, I am coming soon! (Rev 22: 20). The coming of the Bridegroom is the horizon and goal of your ecclesial journey, a promise to be welcomed each day anew. By living in this way, you will be stars to guide the world on its journey (Benedict XVI, Address to Participants in the Ordo Virginum Congress, 15 May 2008).

I encourage you to reread and meditate on those texts of the Rite that speak of the meaning of your vocation. You are called to experience yourselves, and then to testify to others, that God, in his Son, loved us first, that his love is for all, and that it has the power to change sinners into saints. For Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word (Eph 5: 25-26). Your lives will reveal the eschatological tension that enlivens the whole of creation, drives the whole of history, and is born of the Risen Lord’s invitation: Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away (Song 2: 10; cf. ORIGEN, Homilies on the Song of Songs II:12).

3. The Homily proposed for the Rite of Consecration exhorts you to Love everyone, especially those in need (No. 16). Your consecration dedicates you to God without separating you from the setting in which you live and in which you are called to bear personal witness by a lifestyle of evangelical closeness (cf Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago, 37-38). By such closeness to the men and women of our times, your virginal consecration helps the Church to love the poor, to discern forms of material and spiritual poverty, to help those who are weak and vulnerable, those suffering from physical and mental illness, the young and the elderly, and all those in danger of being marginalized or discarded.

Be women of mercy, experts in humanity. Women who believe in the revolutionary nature of love and tenderness (Evangelii Gaudium, 288). The pandemic is teaching us that the time has come to eliminate inequalities, to heal the injustice that is undermining the health of the entire human family! (Homily at Mass for Divine Mercy Sunday, 19 April 2020). Let everything that is happening all around us disturb you: do not close your eyes to it and do not flee from it. Be present and sensitive to pain and suffering. Persevere in proclaiming the Gospel, which promises fullness of life for all.

The Prayer of Consecration, in invoking upon you the manifold gifts of the Spirit, asks that you be enabled to live in casta libertas (Rite of Consecration of Virgins, 24). Let this chaste freedom be your way of relating to others, so that you can be a sign of the spousal love uniting Christ to the Church, virgin and mother, sister and friend of all. By your gentleness (cf Phil 4: 5), weave a web of authentic relationships that can help to make the neighbourhoods of our cities less lonely and anonymous. Be forthright, capable of parrhesia, but avoid the temptation to chatter and gossip. Have the wisdom, the resourcefulness, and the authority of charity, in order to stand up to arrogance and to prevent abuses of power.

4. On this Solemnity of Pentecost, I bless each of you, all those women preparing to receive this consecration, and all those who will receive it in the future. The Holy Spirit is given to the Church as the inexhaustible principle of her joy as the Bride of the glorified Christ (Saint Paul VI, Gaudete in Domino). As signs of the Church as Bride, may you always be women of joy, following the example of Mary of Nazareth, woman of the Magnificat, Mother of the living Gospel.

Rome, Saint John Lateran
31 May 2020
Solemnity of Pentecost

Francis
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
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Two Quebec Dioceses united

Effective today, the Holy Father has united in persona episcopi (in the person of the Bishop), the Dioceses of Mont-Laurier and Saint-Jérôme (Quebec) and has named His Excellency, Raymond Poisson, who is currently serving as Bishop of Saint-Jérôme equally Bishop of Mont-Laurier.

Meet His Excellency, Raymond Poisson

His Excellency, Raymond Poisson was born on 30 April 1958 in Saint-Hyacinthe (Québec).  He studied at the Holy Trinity Seminary in Saint-Bruno and at the André Grasset College before being ordained a priest on 9 December 1983 for the Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil.  He holds a Baccalaureate degree granted by the Faculty of Theology at the University of Montreal.  From 1987 until 1989, he studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and was granted a Doctorate in Theology.

After his studies in Rome, he was appointed Secretary to the then Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil, His Excellency, Bernard Hubert while at the same time serving as Associate Pastor and then as Pastor of the parish of Saint-Georges in the city of Saint-Jean-Longueuil.  From 1995 to 2007, he served as Pastor at the co-Cathedral of Saint-Antoine de Padoue.  Then, he served as pastor of the pastoral unity of Sainte-Marguerite-d'Youville and Rector of the Basilica of Sainte-Anne in Varennes.

On 1 May 2012, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Saint-Jérôme and received Episcopal Ordination on 15 June of that year.  On 8 September 2015, he was appointed Bishop of Joliette.  On 18 May 2018, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Saint-Jérôme.  On 21 May 2019, he became the Bishop of Saint-Jérôme by rite of succession.