Vita della Comunità - Parrocchia dei Santi Faustino e Giovita

Parrocchia dei Santi Faustino e Giovita - Brescia
Vita della Comunità
3a domenica
del Tempo Ordinario
25 gennaio 2015
PAPA FRANCESCO
UDIENZA GENERALE
Viaggio Apostolico in Sri Lanka e Filippine
Aula Paolo VI
Mercoledì, 21 gennaio 2015
Cari fratelli e sorelle, buongiorno.
Oggi mi soffermerò sul viaggio apostolico in Sri Lanka e
nelle Filippine che ho compiuto la scorsa settimana. Dopo
la visita in Corea di qualche mese fa, mi sono recato nuovamente in Asia, continente di ricche tradizioni culturali e
spirituali. Il viaggio è stato soprattutto un gioioso incontro
con le comunità ecclesiali che, in quei Paesi, danno testimonianza a Cristo: le ho confermate nella fede e nella missionarietà. Conserverò sempre nel cuore il ricordo della festosa accoglienza da parte delle folle – in alcuni casi addirittura
oceaniche –, che ha accompagnato i momenti salienti del
viaggio. Inoltre ho incoraggiato il dialogo interreligioso al
servizio della pace, come pure il cammino di quei popoli
verso l’unità e lo sviluppo sociale, specialmente con il protagonismo delle famiglie e dei giovani.
Il momento culminante del mio soggiorno in Sri Lanka
è stata la canonizzazione del grande missionario Giuseppe
Vaz. Questo santo sacerdote amministrava i Sacramenti,
spesso in segreto, ai fedeli, ma aiutava indistintamente tutti i bisognosi, di ogni religione e condizione sociale. Il suo
esempio di santità e amore al prossimo continua a ispirare
la Chiesa in Sri Lanka nel suo apostolato di carità e di educazione. Ho indicato san Giuseppe Vaz come modello per
tutti i cristiani, chiamati oggi a proporre la verità salvifica
del Vangelo in un contesto multireligioso, con rispetto verso
gli altri, con perseveranza e con umiltà.
Lo Sri Lanka è un paese di grande bellezza naturale, il
cui popolo sta cercando di ricostruire l’unità dopo un lungo
e drammatico conflitto civile. Nel mio incontro con le Autorità governative ho sottolineato l’importanza del dialogo,
del rispetto per la dignità umana, dello sforzo di coinvolgere
tutti per trovare soluzioni adeguate in ordine alla riconciliazione e al bene comune.
Le diverse religioni hanno un ruolo significativo da svolgere al riguardo. Il mio incontro con gli esponenti religiosi è
stato una conferma dei buoni rapporti che già esistono tra
le varie comunità. In tale contesto ho voluto incoraggiare la
cooperazione già intrapresa tra i seguaci delle differenti tradizioni religiose, anche al fine di poter risanare col balsamo
del perdono quanti ancora sono afflitti dalle sofferenze degli ultimi anni. Il tema della riconciliazione ha caratterizzato
anche la mia visita al santuario di Nostra Signora di Madhu,
molto venerata dalle popolazioni Tamil e Cingalesi e meta
di pellegrinaggio di membri di altre religioni. In quel luogo
santo abbiamo chiesto a Maria nostra Madre di ottenere
per tutto il popolo srilankese il dono dell’unità e della pace.
Dallo Sri Lanka sono partito alla volta delle Filippine,
dove la Chiesa si prepara a celebrare il quinto centenario
dell’arrivo del Vangelo. È il principale Paese cattolico dell’Asia, e il popolo filippino è ben noto per la sua profonda fede,
la sua religiosità e il suo entusiasmo, anche nella diaspora.
Nel mio incontro con le Autorità nazionali, come pure nei
momenti di preghiera e durante l’affollata Messa conclusiva, ho sottolineato la costante fecondità del Vangelo e la
sua capacità di ispirare una società degna dell’uomo, in cui
c’è posto per la dignità di ciascuno e le aspirazioni del popolo filippino.
Scopo principale della visita e motivo per cui ho deciso di
andare nelle Filippine era poter esprimere la mia vicinanza
ai nostri fratelli e sorelle che hanno subito la devastazione
del tifone Yolanda. Mi sono recato a Tacloban, nella regione
più gravemente colpita, dove ho reso omaggio alla fede e
alla capacità di ripresa della popolazione locale. A Tacloban,
purtroppo, le avverse condizioni climatiche hanno causato
un’altra vittima innocente: la giovane volontaria Kristel, travolta e uccisa da una struttura spazzata dal vento. Ho poi
ringraziato quanti, da ogni parte del mondo, hanno risposto al loro bisogno con una generosa profusione di aiuti. La
potenza dell’amore di Dio, rivelato nel mistero della Croce,
è stata resa evidente nello spirito di solidarietà dimostrata
dai molteplici atti di carità e di sacrificio che hanno segnato
quei giorni bui.
Gli incontri con le famiglie e con i giovani, a Manila, sono
stati momenti salienti della visita nelle Filippine. Le famiglie
sane sono essenziali alla vita della società. Dà consolazione
e speranza vedere tante famiglie numerose che accolgono
i figli come un vero dono di Dio. Loro sanno che ogni figlio
è una benedizione. Ho sentito dire da alcuni che le famiglie
con molti figli e la nascita di tanti bambini sono tra le cause della povertà. Mi pare un’opinione semplicistica. Posso
dire, possiamo dire tutti, che la causa principale della povertà è un sistema economico che ha tolto la persona dal
centro e vi ha posto il dio denaro; un sistema economico
che esclude, esclude sempre: esclude i bambini, gli anziani,
i giovani, senza lavoro … - e che crea la cultura dello scarto
che viviamo. Ci siamo abituati a vedere persone scartate.
Questo è il motivo principale della povertà, non le famiglie numerose. Rievocando la figura di san Giuseppe, che
ha protetto la vita del “Santo Niño”, tanto venerato in quel
Paese, ho ricordato che occorre proteggere le famiglie, che
affrontano diverse minacce, affinché possano testimoniare
la bellezza della famiglia nel progetto di Dio. Occorre anche
difendere le famiglie dalle nuove colonizzazioni ideologiche, che attentano alla sua identità e alla sua missione.
Ed è stata una gioia per me stare con i giovani delle Filippine, per ascoltare le loro speranze e le loro preoccupazioni. Ho voluto offrire ad essi il mio incoraggiamento per i loro
sforzi nel contribuire al rinnovamento della società, specialmente attraverso il servizio ai poveri e la tutela dell’ambiente naturale. La cura dei poveri è un elemento essenziale della nostra vita e testimonianza cristiana; comporta il rifiuto
di ogni forma di corruzione, perché la corruzione ruba ai
poveri e richiede una cultura di onestà.
Ringrazio il Signore per questa visita pastorale in Sri Lanka e nelle Filippine. Gli chiedo di benedire sempre questi
due Paesi e di confermare la fedeltà dei cristiani al messaggio evangelico della nostra redenzione, riconciliazione e
comunione con Cristo.
Filippine, il Papa ai giovani:
«Impariamo a piangere»
Momenti di gioia, trepidazione, preghiera. Giornata intensa e piena, quella di papa Francesco nelle Filippine. Prima l’incontro con trentamila giovani, poi la Messa al Rizal
Central Park di Manila. Cuore a cuore, la gente del posto ha
voluto dimostrare a Francesco tutto il suo amore. Un abbraccio per milioni di persone, insieme al Santo Niño, l’effige venerata nel grande Paese asiatico, quello che “ti accoglie col sorriso”. Come quello di Francesco, che non lesina
consigli, inviti, ammonimenti. Parla ai giovani, chiede loro
di “non essere musei”, privi di verve, di spirito, dipendenti
dei social network. Pieno di iniziativa, certamente, è papa
Bergoglio. “La realtà è superiore alle idee”, lascia il discorso
scritto e parla a braccio, a cuore aperto:
“Cari ragazzi e ragazze, nel mondo di oggi manca la capacità di piangere. Piangono gli emarginati, quelli che sono
esclusi, quelli che vengono scartati, ma quelli che hanno
una vita senza particolari necessità non sanno piangere.
Alcune realtà della vita si vedono soltanto con gli occhi
lavati dalle lacrime. Così invito ciascuno di voi a chiedersi: ho imparato a piangere quando vedo un bambino che
è affamato, un bambino drogato, un bambino che non ha
casa, un bambino abbandonato, un bambino abusato, un
bambino sfruttato dalla società?”. Monito forte, quello di
Francesco. Perché, “se non imparate come si piange, non
potete essere buoni cristiani”. Papa Francesco non cessa di
annunziare l’amore del Signore e invita a guardarsi dentro.
A piangere, appunto. L’ha detto già diverse volte in questi
due anni di pontificato. Poi continua: “Voi potrete chiedermi: padre come si diventa santi? Questa è un'altra sfida. La
sfida dell’amore”. Imparare ad amare, per il Papa, è la materia più importante che si impara all’università.
Per questo, amico sempre fedele è Dio, e Francesco ha
voluto ancora una volta esortare i giovani a “lasciarsi sorprendere da Dio”, ad essere come San Matteo, che si è
scoperto amato da Dio. Amato da Dio e in relazione con
il povero. Sentirsi “mendicanti” di chi si aiuta, perché “le
persone che aiutiamo, i poveri, gli infermi, gli orfani, hanno
molto da darci”. Così, Bergoglio ha domandato: “Sapete che
siete in povertà e che avete bisogno di farvi evangelizzare
dai poveri, dagli infermi, da coloro che aiutate? Questo è
ciò che vi aiuta a maturare nel vostro impegno a voler aiutare gli altri. Imparare a tendere la mano spinti dalla propria
miseria”.
Il pensiero ai giovani è andato anche alla Messa domenicale celebrata dal Papa a Rizal Park. “La Bibbia ci dice che la
grande minaccia al piano di Dio per noi è ed è sempre stata
la menzogna. Il diavolo è il padre della menzogna. Spesso
egli nasconde le sue insidie dietro l’apparenza della sofisticazione, il fascino di essere “moderni”, di essere “come tutti
gli altri”. Egli ci distrae con il miraggio di piaceri effimeri e di
passatempi superficiali. In tal modo noi sprechiamo i doni
ricevuti da Dio, giocherellando con congegni futili; sprechiamo il nostro denaro nel gioco d’azzardo e nel bere; ci
ripieghiamo su noi stessi”.
Dal commento del brano di San Paolo, “non sapete che
siete tempio di Dio?”, anche un pensiero al popolo filippino, “famiglia di DIo”, e un invito, dinanzi al Santo Niño, ad
essere “bambini interiormente”. Invito raccolto, al termine
della celebrazione, dal cardinale Tagle: “Siamo un popolo di
bambini, ci porti con lei non a Roma, ma nelle periferie del
mondo”.
Infine, si diceva, la famiglia: “Oggi purtroppo la famiglia
ha bisogno di essere protetta da attacchi insidiosi e da programmi contrari a tutto quello che noi riteniamo vero e sacro, a tutto ciò che nella cultura è nobile e bello”.
Ma qui la questione non è solo filippina.
I Santi della
Settimana
31 gennaio
s. GIOVANNI BOSCO
●
●
●
C.A.G. “Sfera Celeste”, “La Ludo”, “Due Torri”,
“Carmen Street”, “L’Impronta”, “La terra di mezzo”,
“Giravolta”, “Pavoni”e Punto incontro Young;
Parrocchie di San Faustino, Santa Maria della
Vittoria, San Giovanni,Santa Maria in Silva,
Casa di Accoglienza “I tre Volti”, Ass. Giockalima,
Gruppo Scout Brescia 7, Emergency
con
e il patrocinio
del
Marcia per la pace
BresciaEst
Comune di Brescia
Pace libera tutti!
Non più schiavi ma fratelli
gioco e animazione per ragazzi e famiglie
per le vie del centro di Brescia
Ritrovo
secondo
gruppo
San Faustino
ore 14:00
Domenica 1 febbraio 2015
PROGRAMMA
Incontro
in piazza
Garibaldi
Ore 15:00
Arrivo in
piazza
Loggia
Ore 15:30
14.00 Ritrovo presso i punti di partenza:
Santa Maria della Vittoria e San Faustino
per rinfresco e introduzione
14.30 Partenza: piccoli passi verso la
Pace!
15.00 Incontro dei gruppi in Piazza
Garibaldi e tratto comune verso piazza
Loggia
Vittoria
15-30-16.00 Presentazione dei
Ritrovo secondo gruppo
Santa Maria della Vittoria
ore 14:00
no
potran zione
randi
a
I più g alla realizz ter di
i wri
ipare
partec annello con
ty
di un p True Quali
laboratori svolti dai C.A.G.
16.00-17.00 Narrazione teatrale
e spettacoli
17.00-17.30 Interventi Istituzionali
17.30-18.00 conclusione con il
consueto lancio dei palloncini!
Chi ci può aiutare per la
PESCA di S. FAUSTINO?
offrendo i premi
e disponibilità di tempo?
Contattateci in segreteria...
Giovanni Bosco nacque il 16 agosto 1815 a Castelnuovo
d‘Asti. Di famiglia povera si preparò, fra stenti ed ostacoli,
lavorando e studiando, alla missione che gli era stata indicata attraverso un sogno fatto all’età di nove anni e confermata più volte in seguito, in modo straordinario. Studiò a
Chieri, vicino a Torino. Ogni giorno frequentava il duomo,
pregando e riflettendo davanti all’altare della Cappella
della Madonna delle Grazie, dove decise il suo avvenire. A
19 anni voleva farsi religioso francescano. “Informato della
decisione, il parroco di Castelnuovo, don Dassano, avvertì Mamma Margherita con queste parole molte esplicite:
“Cercate di allontanarlo da questa idea...”. Mamma Margherita si mise addosso uno scialle nero, scese a Chieri e
parlò a Giovanni: “Il parroco è venuto a dirmi che vuoi entrare in convento. Sentimi bene. Io voglio che tu ci pensi e
con calma. Quando avrai deciso, segui la tua strada senza
guardare in faccia nessuno. La cosa più importante è che
tu faccia la volontà del Signore. Il parroco vorrebbe che io
ti facessi cambiare idea, perché in avvenire potrei avere
bisogno di te. Ma io ti dico che in queste cose tua madre
non c’entra. Dio è prima di tutto. Da te io non voglio niente, non mi aspetto niente. Io sono nata povera, sono vissuta povera, e voglio morire povera. Anzi, te lo voglio subito
dire: se ti facessi prete e per disgrazia diventassi ricco non
metterò mai più piede in casa tua. Ricordatelo bene”.
Dopo molta preghiera, ed essersi consultato con amici e
con il suo confessore Don Giuseppe Cafasso, entrò in seminario. Ordinato sacerdote a Torino il 5 giugno del 1841,
fece tre propositi: “Occupare rigorosamente il tempo. Patire, fare, umiliarsi in tutto e sempre quando si tratta di
salvare le anime. La carità e la dolcezza di San Francesco
di Sales mi guideranno in ogni cosa”.
Venuto a Torino, fu subito colpito dallo spettacolo di centinaia di ragazzi e giovani allo sbando, senza guida e lavoro: volle consacrare la sua vita per la loro salvezza.
L’8 dicembre 1841, nella chiesa di San Francesco d‘Assisi, ebbe l’incontro con il primo dei moltissimi ragazzi che
l’avrebbero conosciuto e seguito: Bartolomeo Garelli. Incomincia cosi l’opera dell’Oratorio dove i ragazzi, a centinaia, studiano e imparano il mestiere nei laboratori che
Don Bosco aveva fatto costruire per loro.
Mamma Margherita si unì a lui nella Congregazione Salesiana e lo aiutò nell’educazione dei suoi ragazzi. Rapidamente si moltiplicheranno ovunque oratori, scuole professionali, collegi, centri vocazionali, parrocchie, missioni.
Muore a Valdocco all’età di 72 anni, il 31 gennaio 1888,
sfinito dal lavoro, secondo quanto aveva detto: “Ho promesso a Dio che fin l’ultimo mio respiro sarebbe stato
per i miei poveri giovani”.
Fu beatificato il 2 giugno 1929 e dichiarato santo da Pio
XI il l aprile 1934, domenica di Pasqua.
i giorni della comunità
3a DOMENICA DELLA FEDE per genitori e ragazzi dell’iniziazione cristiana
Conversione di S. Paolo apostolo
Domenica
25
Conclusione della Settimana di preghiera per l’Unità dei Cristiani
15.00
Orario festivo
Al Centro Pastorale Paolo VI (via G. Calini 30): “Testimonianza sulle persecuzioni di ieri e
di oggi” (un prete irakeno, una scrittrice armena, un rabbino)
Ss. Timoteo e Tito
26
9.30-11.00
17.00
Martedì
27
20.30
Solennità di S. Angela Merici, patrona secondaria della Diocesi
S. Messe presso il Santuario di S. Angela Merici
Incontro di formazione per gli animatori dei Centri di Ascolto della Parola
15.30
20.45
S. Tommaso d’Aquino
Catechesi degli adulti nel Centro Socio-culturale, via della Rocca 16/a: don Armando
presenta l’esortazione Evangelii Gaudium di Papa Francesco
Consiglio dell’Unità Pastorale del Centro Storico a S. Afra
15.00
Incontro per anziani nel Centro Socio-culturale in via della Rocca 16/a
17.15
19.00
20.45
Incontro gruppo preadolescenti in oratorio
Incontro gruppo adolescenti in oratorio
Lettura dei testi biblici della domenica con don Piero in Saletta Piamarta
14.30
15.00
S. Giovanni Bosco
Catechismo per bambini e ragazzi dal 1° al 5° anno dell’Iniziazione Cristiana
S. Messa per anziani in Basilica e ritrovo in oratorio
Mercoledì
28
Giovedì
29
Venerdì
30
Sabato
31
Centro di ascolto caritas in segreteria della parrocchia
Incontro della Segreteria della Consulta parrocchiale
4a DOMENICA DEL T. O.
Giornata nazionale per la Vita e la famiglia
Domenica
1
10.00
Sono invitate le famiglie con i bambini battezzati nel 2011-2014
Nella S. Messa il Sindaco e il Consiglio comunale chiedono ai Ss. Patroni
la protezione della Città
14.00
16.00
Marcia per la pace (partenza dal nostro oratorio e da S. Maria della Vittoria)
S. Messa nella Giornata per la vita al Santuario delle Grazie
Orari S. Messe festive: 8,00 - 10,00 - 11,15- 12,30 (in inglese) - 18,15
GENNAIO-FEBBRAIO 2015
Lunedì
Parokya ni San Faustino - Brescia
Ang Buhay ng Sambayanan
Linggo
Ika-18 ng Enero, 2015
MEETING WITH FAMILIES
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
Mall of Asia Arena, Manila - Friday, 16 January 2015
Dear Families,
Dear Friends in Christ,
I am grateful for your presence here this evening and for
the witness of your love for Jesus and his Church. I thank
Bishop Reyes, Chairman of the Bishops’ Commission on
Family and Life, for his words of welcome on your behalf.
And, in a special way, I thank those who have presented
testimonies – thank you! – and who have shared their life
of faith with us. The Church in the Philippines is blessed by
the apostolate of numerous family movements and I thank
them for their witness!
The Scriptures seldom speak of Saint Joseph, but when
they do, we often find him resting, as an angel reveals God’s
will to him in his dreams. In the Gospel passage we have
just heard, we find Joseph resting not once, but twice. This
evening I would like to rest in the Lord with all of you. I need
to rest in the Lord with families, and to remember my own
family: my father, my mother, my grandfather, my grandmother… Today I am resting with you, and together with
you I would like to reflect on the gift of the family.
First, however, let me say something about dreams. But
my English is so poor! If you allow me, I will ask Monsignor
Miles to translate and I will speak in Spanish.
I am very fond of dreams in families. For nine months every mother and father dream about their baby. Am I right?
[Yes!] They dream about what kind of child he or she will
be... You can’t have a family without dreams. Once a family
loses the ability to dream, children do not grow, love does
not grow, life shrivels up and dies. So I ask you each evening, when you make your examination of conscience, to
also ask yourselves this question: Today did I dream about
my children’s future? Today did I dream about the love of
my husband, my wife? Did I dream about my parents and
grandparents who have gone before me? Dreaming is very
important. Especially dreaming in families. Do not lose this
ability to dream!
How many difficulties in married life are resolved when
we leave room for dreaming, when we stop a moment to
think of our spouse, and we dream about the goodness
present in the good things all around us. So it is very impor-
tant to reclaim love by what we do each day. Do not ever
stop being newlyweds!
Joseph’s rest revealed God’s will to him. In this moment
of rest in the Lord, as we pause from our many daily obligations and activities, God is also speaking to us. He speaks to
us in the reading we have just heard, in our prayer and witness, and in the quiet of our hearts. Let us reflect on what
the Lord is saying to us, especially in this evening’s Gospel.
There are three aspects of this passage which I would ask
you to consider: First, resting in the Lord. Second, rising
with Jesus and Mary. Third, being a prophetic voice.
Resting in the Lord. Rest is so necessary for the health of
our minds and bodies, and often so difficult to achieve due
to the many demands placed on us. But rest is also essential
for our spiritual health, so that we can hear God’s voice and
understand what he asks of us. Joseph was chosen by God
to be the foster father of Jesus and the husband of Mary.
As Christians, you too are called, like Joseph, to make
a home for Jesus. To make a home for Jesus! You make a
home for him in your hearts, your families, your parishes
and your communities.
To hear and accept God’s call, to make a home for Jesus, you must be able to rest in the Lord. You must make
time each day to rest in the Lord, to pray. To pray is to rest
in the Lord. But you may say to me: Holy Father, I know
that; I want to pray, but there is so much work to do! I must
care for my children; I have chores in the home; I am too
tired even to sleep well. I know. This may be true, but if we
do not pray, we will not know the most important thing of
all: God’s will for us. And for all our activity, our busy-ness,
without prayer we will accomplish very little.
Resting in prayer is especially important for families. It
is in the family that we first learn how to pray. Don’t forget: the family that prays together stays together! This is
important. There we come to know God, to grow into men
and women of faith, to see ourselves as members of God’s
greater family, the Church. In the family we learn how to
love, to forgive, to be generous and open, not closed and
selfish. We learn to move beyond our own needs, to encounter others and share our lives with them. That is why
it is so important to pray as a family! So important! That is
why families are so important in God’s plan for the Church!
To rest in the Lord is to pray. To pray together as a family.
I would also like to tell you something very personal. I
have great love for Saint Joseph, because he is a man of
silence and strength. On my table I have an image of Saint
Joseph sleeping. Even when he is asleep, he is taking care
of the Church! Yes! We know that he can do that. So when
I have a problem, a difficulty, I write a little note and I put it
underneath Saint Joseph, so that he can dream about it! In
other words I tell him: pray for this problem!
Next, rising with Jesus and Mary. Those precious moments of repose, of resting with the Lord in prayer, are moments we might wish to prolong. But like Saint Joseph, once
we have heard God’s voice, we must rise from our slumber;
we must get up and act (cf. Rom 13:11). In our families, we
have to get up and act! Faith does not remove us from the
world, but draws us more deeply into it. This is very important! We have to be deeply engaged with the world, but
with the power of prayer. Each of us, in fact, has a special
role in preparing for the coming of God’s kingdom in our
world.
Just as the gift of the Holy Family was entrusted to Saint
Joseph, so the gift of the family and its place in God’s plan
is entrusted to us. Like Saint Joseph. The gift of the Holy
Family was entrusted to Saint Joseph so that he could care
for it. Each of you, each of us – for I too am part of a family – is charged with caring for God’s plan. The angel of the
Lord revealed to Joseph the dangers which threatened Jesus and Mary, forcing them to flee to Egypt and then to
settle in Nazareth. So too, in our time, God calls upon us to
recognize the dangers threatening our own families and to
protect them from harm.
Let us be on guard against colonization by new ideologies. There are forms of ideological colonization which are
out to destroy the family. They are not born of dreams, of
prayers, of closeness to God or the mission which God gave
us; they come from without, and for that reason I am saying
that they are forms of colonization. Let’s not lose the freedom of the mission which God has given us, the mission of
the family. Just as our peoples, at a certain moment of their
history, were mature enough to say “no” to all forms of political colonization, so too in our families we need to be very
wise, very shrewd, very strong, in order to say “no” to all
attempts at an ideological colonization of our families. We
need to ask Saint Joseph, the friend of the angel, to send us
the inspiration to know when we can say “yes” and when
we have to say “no”.
The pressures on family life today are many. Here in
the Philippines, countless families are still suffering from
the effects of natural disasters. The economic situation
has caused families to be separated by migration and the
search for employment, and financial problems strain many
households. While all too many people live in dire poverty,
others are caught up in materialism and lifestyles which are
destructive of family life and the most basic demands of
Christian morality. These are forms of ideological colonization. The family is also threatened by growing efforts on the
part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage,
by relativism, by the culture of the ephemeral, by a lack of
openness to life.
I think of Blessed Paul VI. At a time when the problem of
population growth was being raised, he had the courage to
defend openness to life in families. He knew the difficulties
that are there in every family, and so in his Encyclical he
was very merciful towards particular cases, and he asked
confessors to be very merciful and understanding in dealing
with particular cases. But he also had a broader vision: he
looked at the peoples of the earth and he saw this threat
of families being destroyed for lack of children. Paul VI was
courageous; he was a good pastor and he warned his flock
of the wolves who were coming. From his place in heaven,
may he bless this evening!
Our world needs good and strong families to overcome
these threats! The Philippines needs holy and loving families to protect the beauty and truth of the family in God’s
plan and to be a support and example for other families.
Every threat to the family is a threat to society itself. The
future of humanity, as Saint John Paul II often said, passes
through the family (cf. Familiaris Consortio, 85). The future
passes through the family. So protect your families! Protect
your families! See in them your country’s greatest treasure
and nourish them always by prayer and the grace of the
sacraments. Families will always have their trials, but may
you never add to them! Instead, be living examples of love,
forgiveness and care. Be sanctuaries of respect for life, proclaiming the sacredness of every human life from conception to natural death. What a gift this would be to society,
if every Christian family lived fully its noble vocation! So
rise with Jesus and Mary, and set out on the path the Lord
traces for each of you.
Finally, the Gospel we have heard reminds us of our
Christian duty to be prophetic voices in the midst of our
communities. Joseph listened to the angel of the Lord and
responded to God’s call to care for Jesus and Mary. In this
way he played his part in God’s plan, and became a blessing
not only for the Holy Family, but a blessing for all of humanity. With Mary, Joseph served as a model for the boy Jesus
as he grew in wisdom, age and grace (cf. Lk 2:52). When
families bring children into the world, train them in faith
and sound values, and teach them to contribute to society,
they become a blessing in our world. Families can become
a blessing for all of humanity! God’s love becomes present
and active by the way we love and by the good works that
we do. We extend Christ’s kingdom in this world. And in
doing this, we prove faithful to the prophetic mission which
we have received in baptism.
During this year which your bishops have set aside as
the Year of the Poor, I would ask you, as families, to be especially mindful of our call to be missionary disciples of Jesus. This means being ready to go beyond your homes and
to care for our brothers and sisters who are most in need.
I ask you especially to show concern for those who do not
have a family of their own, in particular those who are elderly and children without parents. Never let them feel isolated, alone and abandoned, but help them to know that
God has not forgotten them. Today I was very moved when,
after Mass, I visited a home for children without families.
How many people work in the Church to make that home a
family! This is what it means, in a prophetic sense, to build
a family.
You may be poor yourselves in material ways, but you
have an abundance of gifts to offer when you offer Christ
and the community of his Church. Do not hide your faith,
do not hide Jesus, but carry him into the world and offer
the witness of your family life!
Dear friends in Christ, know that I pray for you always!
I pray for families! I do! I pray that the Lord may continue
to deepen your love for him, and that this love may manifest itself in your love for one another and for the Church.
Do not forget Jesus who sleeps! Do not forget Saint Joseph
who sleeps! Jesus slept with the protection of Joseph. Do
not forget: families find their rest in prayer. Don not forget
to pray for families. Pray often and take the fruits of your
prayer into the world, that all may know Jesus Christ and
his merciful love. Please pray also for me, for I truly need
your prayers and will depend on them always! Thank you
very much!
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
Tacloban International Airport
Saturday, 17 January 2015
In the first reading, we heard that we have a great priest
capable of sympathizing with out weakness, who in every
respect has been tempted as we are… (cf. Heb 4:15). Jesus
is like us. Jesus lived as we do.
He is like us in everything. In everything but sin, for he
was not a sinner. But to be even more like us, he took upon
himself our sins. He became sin! This is what Paul tells us,
and it was something that he knew well. Jesus goes before
us always; when we experience any kind of cross, he was
already there before us.
If today all of us are gathered here, fourteen months after the passage of Typhoon Yolanda, it is because we are
certain that we will not be disappointed in our faith, for Jesus has gone before us. In his passion he took upon himself
all of our sorrows, and… Let me tell you something personal
– when I witnessed his disaster from Rome, I felt that I had
to be here. That is when I decided to come here. I wanted
to come to be with you. Maybe you will tell me that I came
a little late; that is true, but here I am!
I am here to tell you that Jesus is Lord; that Jesus does
not disappoint. “Father”, one of you may tell me, “he disappointed me because I lost my house, I lost everything I had,
I am sick”. What you say is true and I respect your feelings,
but I see him there, nailed to the cross, and from there he
does not disappoint us. He was consecrated Lord on that
throne, and there he experienced all the disasters we experience. Jesus is Lord! And he is Lord from the cross, from
there he reigned. That is why, as we heard in the first reading, he can understand us: he became like us in every way.
So we have a Lord who is able to weep with us, who can be
at our side through life’s most difficult moments.
So many of you have lost everything. I do not know what
to tell you. But surely he knows what to tell you! So many of
you have lost members of your family. I can only be silent; I
accompany you silently, with my heart…
Many of you looked to Christ and asked: Why, Lord? To
each of you the Lord responds from his heart. I have no other words to say to you. Let us look to Christ: he is the Lord,
and he understands us, for he experienced all the troubles
we experience.
With him, beneath the cross, is his Mother. We are like
that child who stands down there, who, in times of sorrow
and pain, times when we understand nothing, times when
we want to rebel, can only reach out and cling to her skirts
and say to her: “Mother!” Like a little child who is frightened and says: “Mother”. Perhaps that is the only word
which can express all the feelings we have in those dark
moments: Mother!
Let us be still for a moment and look to the Lord. He
can understand us, for he experienced all these things. And
let us look to our Mother, and like that little child, let us
reach out, cling to her skirts and say to her in our hearts:
“Mother”. Let us make this prayer in silence; let everyone
say it whatever way he or she feels…
We are not alone; we have a Mother; we have Jesus, our
older brother. We are not alone. And we also have many
brothers and sisters who, when the disaster struck, came to
our assistance. We too feel more like brothers and sisters
whenever we help one another, whenever we help each
other.
This is all that I feel I have to say to you. Forgive me if I
have no other words. But be sure that Jesus does not disappoint us; be sure that the love and tenderness of our
Mother does not disappoint us. Clinging to her as sons and
daughters with the strength which Jesus our brother gives
us, let us now move forward. As brothers and sisters, let us
take up our journey. Thank you!
After Communion:
We have just celebrated the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.
Jesus has gone before us on this journey and he is with
us whenever we gather to pray and celebrate.
Thank you, Lord, for being with us here today. Thank
you, Lord, for sharing our sorrows. Thank you, Lord, for giving us hope. Thank you, Lord, for your great mercy. Thank
you, Lord, because you wanted to be like one of us. Thank
you, Lord, because you keep ever close to us, even when we
carry our crosses. Thank you, Lord, for giving us hope. Lord,
may no one rob us of hope! Thank you, Lord, because in the
darkest moment of your own life, on the cross, you thought
of us and you left us a mother, your mother. Thank you Lord
for not leaving us orphans!
Parokya ni San Faustino - Brescia
Ang Buhay ng Sambayanan
Linggo
Ika-25 ng Enero, 2015
MEETING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE ADDRESS OF
HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
Sports field of Santo Tomás University, Manila
Sunday, 18 January 2015
Dear Young Friends,
When I speak spontaneously, I do it in Spanish. No? Because
I don’t know the English language. May I do it? Thank you
very much! Here is Father Mark, a good translator!
First of all, some sad news. Yesterday, as Mass was about to
begin, one of the towers fell, like that one over there, and
injured a young lady working there and she died. Her name
is Cristal. She was helping in the organization of that Mass.
She was 27 years old. She was young like you and she was
working for a group called “Catholic Relief Services”. She
was a volunteer. I would like all of us, together, you who are
young people just like her, to pray for a moment in silence,
and then to call upon our heavenly Mother. Let us pray.
(Silence … Ave Maria)
Let us also say a prayer for her mother and father. She was
their only child. Her mother is flying in from Hong Kong. Her
father has come to Manila to wait for her mother.
(Our Father…)
It is a joy for me to be with you this morning. I greet each
of you from the heart, and I thank all those who made this
meeting possible. During my visit to the Philippines, I wanted
in a particular way to meet with young people, to listen to
you and to talk with you. I want to express the love and
the hopes of the Church for you. And I want to encourage
you, as Christian citizens of this country, to offer yourselves
passionately and honestly to the great work of renewing
your society and helping to build a better world.
In a special way, I thank the young people who have offered
words of welcome to me: Jun, Leandro and Rikki. Thank you
very much.
And the small… the small representation of women. Too
small! Women have much to say to us in today’s society.
Sometimes we are too “machista”; we don’t make room for
women. Women are able to see things differently than men.
Women can ask questions that we men just don’t get. Pay
attention. She [pointing to Jun’s friend] today asked the one
question that doesn’t have an answer. And she couldn’t say
it in words. She had to say it with tears. So that, when the
next Pope comes to Manila, there should be more women
(applause).
I thank you, Jun, for being so brave in talking about your
experience. As I just said, your question, deep down, is
almost unanswerable. Only when we are able to weep over
the things that you experienced, can we understand and give
some kind of response. The great question for everybody
is: “Why do children suffer?”. Why do children suffer? Only
when our hearts can ask this question and weep, can we
begin to understand. There is a worldly compassion which
is completely useless. You said something about this. A
compassion which, at most, makes us reach into our pocket
and take out a coin. If Christ had that kind of compassion, he
would have passed by, cured three or four people, and then
returned to the Father. Only when Christ wept, and he was
capable of weeping, did he understand our troubles. Dear
young men and women, our world today needs weeping.
The marginalized weep, those who are neglected weep,
the scorned weep, but those of us who have relatively
comfortable life, we don’t know how to weep. Certain
realities of life are seen only with eyes that are cleansed by
tears. I ask each one of you to ask: Can I weep? Can I weep
when I see a child who is hungry, on drugs and on the street,
homeless, abandoned, mistreated or exploited as a slave by
society? Or is my weeping the self-centred whining of those
who weep because they want to have something else? This
is the first thing I would like to say to you. Let’s learn to
weep, the way [Glyzelle] taught us today. Let’s not forget
this witness. She asked the big question – why do children
suffer? – by weeping; and the big answer which we can give,
all of us, is to learn how to weep.
In the Gospel, Jesus wept. He wept for his dead friend. He
wept in his heart for the family which lost its daughter. He
wept in his heart when he saw the poor widowed mother
who was burying her son. He was moved and he wept in
his heart when he saw the crowds like sheep without a
shepherd. If you don’t learn how to weep, you are not a
good Christian. And this is a challenge. Jun Chura and his
friend who spoke today posed this challenge. When they ask
us: Why do children suffer? Why does this or that tragedy
occur in life?, let us respond either by silence or with a word
born of tears. Be brave. Don’t be afraid to cry!
Then we heard from Leandro Santos, who was the second to
speak. He asked questions about information and technology.
Today, with so many kinds of media, we are informed, even
over-informed. Is this a bad thing? No. It is good and useful,
but we do run the risk of information overload. We have
plenty of information, but maybe we don’t know what to do
with it all. We risk becoming “museums”, storing up all sorts
of things but not knowing what to do with them. We don’t
need young people who are storehouses, but young people
who are wise.
You can ask me: Father, how can I become wise? This is
another challenge: the challenge of love. What is the most
important lesson which you have to learn at the University?
What is the most important lesson that you have to learn in
life? It is learning how to love. This is the challenge which life
sets before you today. Learning how to love. Not just how
to accumulate information. There comes a time when you
don’t know what to do with it all. It’s a storehouse. Unless,
through love, all this information can bear fruit.
For this to happen, the Gospel proposes to us a serene and
tranquil thing to do. It is to use the three languages: the
language of the mind, the language of the heart and the
language of the hands. All three together, harmoniously:
what you think, you feel and you do. Your information
descends to the heart, moves it and gets translated into
action. And all this in a harmonious way: I think what I feel
and do, I feel what I think and what I do, and I do what I
think and what I feel. The three languages. Are you ready to
repeat these three languages? Thinking, feeling and acting.
Say those words back to me. And all of this harmoniously.
True love is both loving and letting oneself be loved. It is
harder to let ourselves be loved than it is to love. That is
why it is so hard to achieve the perfect love of God, because
we can love him but the important thing is to let ourselves
be loved by him. True love is being open to that love which
was there first and catches us by surprise. If all you have
is information, you are closed to surprises. Love makes you
open to surprises. Love is always a surprise, because it starts
with a dialogue between two persons: the one who loves
and the one who is loved. We say that God is the God of
surprises, because he always loved us first and he waits to
take us by surprise. God surprises us. Let’s allow ourselves
to be surprised by God. Let’s not have the psychology of
a computer, thinking that we know everything. What do
I mean? Think for a moment: the computer has all the
answers: never a surprise. In the challenge of love, God
shows up with surprises.
Think of Saint Matthew. He was a good businessman. He
also betrayed his country because he collected taxes from
the Jews and paid them to the Romans. He was loaded with
money and he collected taxes. Then Jesus comes along,
looks at him and says: “Come, follow me”. Matthew couldn’t
believe it. If you have some time later, go look at the picture
that Caravaggio painted about this scene. Jesus called him,
like this (stretching out his hand). Those who were with Jesus
were saying: “[He is calling] this man, a traitor, a scoundrel?”
And Matthew hangs on to his money and doesn’t want to
leave. But the surprise of being loved wins him over and he
follows Jesus. That morning, when Matthew was going off to
work and said goodbye to his wife, he never thought that he
was going to return in a hurry, without money to tell his wife
to prepare a banquet. The banquet for the one who loved
him first, who surprised him with something important,
more important than all the money he had.
So let yourselves be surprised by God! Don’t be afraid of
surprises, afraid that they will shake you up. They make us
insecure, but they change the direction we are going in. True
love makes you “burn life”, even at the risk of coming up
empty-handed. Think of Saint Francis: he left everything, he
died with empty hands, but with a full heart.
Do you agree? Not young people who are “museums”,
“storehouses”, but young people who are wise. To be wise,
use the three languages: think well, feel well and act well.
And to be wise, let yourselves be surprised by God’s love,
then go out and burn life!
Thank you for your contribution today!
The one who came with a good idea to help us to see how to
get ahead in life was Rikki. He talked about all his activities,
everything he is doing, everything that young people are
doing, all the things that they can do. Thanks, Rikki, thanks
for all that you and your friends are doing.
But I have a question. You and your friends are giving and
giving, helping other people. But what about you? Do you
let them give something to you? Ask yourselves, in your
heart. In the Gospel we just heard, there is a phrase I think is
the most important of all. The Gospel says that Jesus looked
at that young man and loved him. When we see Rikki and his
friends we like them because they do really good things, but
Jesus tells us what is the most important thing. Jesus says:
“Only one thing is lacking”. Let’s each of us listen silently to
these words of Jesus: “Only one thing is lacking to you”.
What is lacking to me? To all of you, whom Jesus loves so
much because you give so generously to others, I ask: “Do
you let people give you that other kind of wealth that you
don’t possess?”
The Sadducees and the teachers of the Law in Jesus’ day
gave much to the people: they gave the Law, they taught,
but they never let the people give them anything. Jesus had
to come so that he could be moved by people. How many
young people – I’m not talking about you – but how many
young people like you here today know how to give, but
have not yet learned how to receive?
Only one thing is lacking. Become a beggar. That’s what is
lacking; learning to beg from those to whom we give. This is
not easy to understand. Learning to beg. Learning to receive
from the humility of the people we help. Learning to be
evangelized by the poor. The persons we help, the poor, the
sick, orphans, have much to give us. Will I become a begger
and also ask this? Or am I sufficient and will I only give? You
who live by always giving, and think that you need nothing,
do you realize that you are poor yourself? Do you realize
that you are very poor and that you need what they can
give you? Do you let yourself be evangelized by the poor,
by the sick, by those you assist? This is what can help all
those people who are committed like Rikki to trying to give
to others: it is learning to stretch out our own hands from
our poverty.
There are a couple of points which I had prepared. The first,
and I have already said it, is about learning to love and to be
loved. There is another challenge, the challenge of integrity.
And the challenge of concern for the environment. This is
not only because this country, more than many others, is
likely to be seriously affected by climate change.
Finally there is the challenge of caring for the poor. Loving
the poor. Your bishops want you to look at the poor in a
special way this year. Do you think about the poor? Do you
do anything for the poor? And do you ask the poor to give
you that wisdom which they have? This is what I want to
say to you. Pardon me that I read practically nothing of
what I had prepared. But there is a phrase which gives me
a little bit of consolation: “Realities are greater than ideas”.
“Realities are greater than ideas”. And the reality which [the
young people who spoke] described, your reality, is greater
than the ideas which I had prepared. So thank you! Thank
you very much! And pray for me!
Prepared speech of the Holy Father
Dear Young Friends,
It is a joy for me to be with you this morning. I greet each
of you from the heart, and I thank all those who made this
meeting possible. During my visit to the Philippines, I wanted
in a particular way to meet with young people, to listen to
you and to talk with you. I want to express the love and
the hopes of the Church for you. And I want to encourage
you, as Christian citizens of this country, to offer yourselves
passionately and honestly to the great work of renewing
your society and helping to build a better world.
In a special way, I thank the young people who have offered
words of welcome to me. They have expressed eloquently,
in your name, your concerns and worries, your faith and
your hopes. They have spoken of the difficulties and the
expectations of the young. Although I cannot respond to
each of these issues at length, I know that, together with
your pastors and among yourselves, you will prayerfully
consider them and make concrete proposals for action in
your lives.
Today I would like to suggest three key areas where you
have a significant contribution to make to the life of your
country. The first of these is the challenge of integrity. The
word “challenge” can be understood in two ways. First, it
can be understood negatively, as a temptation to act against
your moral convictions, what you know to be true, good and
right. Our integrity can be challenged by selfish interest,
greed, dishonesty, or the willingness to use other people.
But the word “challenge” can be also understood positively.
It can be seen as invitation to courage, a summons to bear
prophetic witness to what you believe and hold sacred. In
this sense, the challenge of integrity is something which
you have to face now, at this time in your lives. It is not
something you can put off until you are older or have
greater responsibilities. Even now you are challenged to
act with honesty and fairness in your dealings with others,
young and old alike. Do not avoid the challenge! One of the
greatest challenges young people face is learning to love. To
love means to take a risk: the risk of rejection, the risk of
being taken advantage of, or worse, of taking advantage of
another. Do not be afraid to love! But in love, too, maintain
your integrity! Here too, be honest and fair!
In the reading we have just heard, Paul tells Timothy: “Let
no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example
for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and
purity” (1 Tim 4:12). You are called, then, to set a good
example, an example of integrity. Naturally, in doing this, you
will encounter opposition, negativity, discouragement, and
even ridicule. But you have received a gift which enables you
to rise above those difficulties. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit.
If you nurture this gift by daily prayer and draw strength
from sharing in the Eucharist, you will be able to achieve
that moral greatness to which Jesus calls you. You will also
be a compass for those of your friends who are struggling.
I think especially of those young people who are tempted
to lose hope, to abandon their high ideals, to drop out of
school, or to live from day to day on the streets.
So it is essential not to lose your integrity! Not to compromise
your ideals! Not to give in to temptations against goodness,
holiness, courage and purity! Rise to the challenge! With
Christ, you will be – indeed you already are! – the architects
of a renewed and more just Filipino culture.
A second key area where you are called to make a
contribution is in showing concern for the environment. This
is not only because this country, more than many others,
is likely to be seriously affected by climate change. You are
called to care for creation not only as responsible citizens,
but also as followers of Christ! Respect for the environment
means more than simply using cleaner products or recycling
what we use. These are important aspects, but not enough.
We need to see, with the eyes of faith, the beauty of God’s
saving plan, the link between the natural environment and
the dignity of the human person. Men and women are made
in the image and likeness of God, and given dominion over
creation (cf. Gen 1:26-28). As stewards of God’s creation,
we are called to make the earth a beautiful garden for the
human family. When we destroy our forests, ravage our soil
and pollute our seas, we betray that noble calling.
Three months ago, your Bishops addressed these issues in
a prophetic Pastoral Letter. They asked everyone to think
about the moral dimension of our activities and lifestyles,
our consumption and our use of the earth’s resources. Today
I ask you to do this in the context of your own lives and your
commitment to the building up of Christ’s kingdom. Dear
young people, the just use and stewardship of the earth’s
resources is an urgent task, and you have an important
contribution to make. You are the future of the Philippines.
Be concerned about what is happening to your beautiful
land!
A final area in which you can make a contribution is one
dear to all of us. It is care for the poor. We are Christians.
We are members of God’s family. No matter how much or
how little we have individually, each one of us is called to
personally reach out and serve our brothers and sisters
in need. There is always someone near us who is in need,
materially, emotionally, spiritually. The greatest gift we can
give to them is our friendship, our concern, our tenderness,
our love for Jesus. To receive Jesus is to have everything; to
give him is to give the greatest gift of all.
Many of you know what it is to be poor. But many of you have
also experienced something of the blessedness that Jesus
promised to “the poor in spirit” (cf. Mt 5:3). Here I would say
a word of encouragement and gratitude to those of you who
choose to follow our Lord in his poverty through a vocation
to the priesthood and the religious life; by drawing on that
poverty you will enrich many. But to all of you, especially
those who can do more and give more, I ask: Please, do
more! Please, give more! When you give of your time, your
talents and your resources to the many people who struggle
and who live on the margins, you make a difference. It is a
difference that is so desperately needed, and one for which
you will be richly rewarded by the Lord. For, as he has said:
“you will have treasure in heaven” (Mk 10:21).
Twenty years ago, in this very place, Saint John Paul II said
that the world needs “a new kind of young person” – one
committed to the highest ideals and eager to build the
civilization of love. Be those young persons! Never lose your
idealism! Be joyful witnesses to God’s love and the beautiful
plan he has for us, for this country and for the world in which
we live. Please pray for me. God bless you all!

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