Catholic News 2
NEW YORK (AP) -- President Donald Trump's immigration order sowed more chaos and outrage across the country Sunday, with travelers detained at airports, panicked families searching for relatives and protesters registering opposition to the sweeping measure that was blocked by several federal courts....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House on Sunday tried to tamp down concerns about President Donald Trump's sweeping immigration order in the face of widespread protests, as some Republicans in Congress urged him to proceed with caution in the face of legal pushback. Top congressional Republicans, however, remain largely behind the new president....
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday reiterated his closeness to the earthquake struck populations of Central Italy who are still suffering the consequences of the quake as well as the effects of extremely difficult weather conditions.Speaking after the Angelus Prayer to some 25,000 faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope appealed to political authorities saying “May these brothers and sisters of ours never lack solidarity and the constant support of the Institutions.”“And please: may no kind of burocracy stand in the way, causing delays and ulterior suffering” he said. The Pope also recalled World Leprosy Day with an appeal to beat the disease but also to fight the discrimination it generates.Referring to the observance, marked annually on the last Sunday of January, he pointed out that although leprosy is in decline, it is still much feared and it invariably strikes the poorest and the most marginalized persons.“I...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday reiterated his closeness to the earthquake struck populations of Central Italy who are still suffering the consequences of the quake as well as the effects of extremely difficult weather conditions.
Speaking after the Angelus Prayer to some 25,000 faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope appealed to political authorities saying “May these brothers and sisters of ours never lack solidarity and the constant support of the Institutions.”
“And please: may no kind of burocracy stand in the way, causing delays and ulterior suffering” he said.
The Pope also recalled World Leprosy Day with an appeal to beat the disease but also to fight the discrimination it generates.
Referring to the observance, marked annually on the last Sunday of January, he pointed out that although leprosy is in decline, it is still much feared and it invariably strikes the poorest and the most marginalized persons.
“I send my encouragement to those who work to assist the victims of leprosy and assure them of my prayers” he said.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday dedicated his catechesis to the Gospel reading of the day reflecting on the Beatitudes recounted in the Sermon on the Mount.He was addressing the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the recitation of the Angelus prayer.The Gospel of Matthew, Francis said, is the keystone of the New Testament. It tells of how Jesus manifested God’s will to show man the path to happiness.He said this message was already contained in the words of the prophets who highlighted God’s liberating closeness to the poor and the oppressed.But Jesus, he said, points to a different path which exhorts us all to trust in God as Christian happiness is to be found in the promise of salvation. Focusing on the first Beatitude “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, Pope Francis said he who is poor in spirit does not rebel, but knows how to be humble, obedient, and available to the grace of Go...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday dedicated his catechesis to the Gospel reading of the day reflecting on the Beatitudes recounted in the Sermon on the Mount.
He was addressing the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the recitation of the Angelus prayer.
The Gospel of Matthew, Francis said, is the keystone of the New Testament. It tells of how Jesus manifested God’s will to show man the path to happiness.
He said this message was already contained in the words of the prophets who highlighted God’s liberating closeness to the poor and the oppressed.
But Jesus, he said, points to a different path which exhorts us all to trust in God as Christian happiness is to be found in the promise of salvation.
Focusing on the first Beatitude “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, Pope Francis said he who is poor in spirit does not rebel, but knows how to be humble, obedient, and available to the grace of God.
And he pointed out that the happiness of the poor in spirit has two dimensions: first of all in respect to material goods that should be used with moderation:
Being weighed down by the need for voracious consumption that leads one to believe “the more I have, the more I want” is something, the Pope said, that kills the soul. The man or woman who has this attitude, he explained, will never be happy.
Poverty of spirit, he continued, is revealed in the way a Christian praises and acknowledges the love with which the Lord created us and the world. In the way he puts his trust in God.
“He who is poor in spirit is the Christian who does not trust in material riches, who is not obstinate in conveying his own opinions, but listens with respect and willingly defers to the decisions of others” he said.
"If there were more people who are poor in spirit in our communities there would be fewer divisions, disagreements and controversies! Humility, like charity, it is an essential virtue for living together in Christian communities”.
Poverty, in the evangelical sense, the Pope said, is the path to the Kingdom of Heaven, a path that favors sharing rather than possession.
“You can walk the path of love - the Pope concluded - only if you have an open heart” following the example of Our Lady, the prime model of the poor in spirit, and totally docile to the will of the Lord.
Vatican City, Jan 29, 2017 / 09:09 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Sunday Pope Francis said being poor in spirit doesn’t necessarily mean giving things up, but instead is rooted in humility and openness to others – an attitude capable of overcoming polemics and division, and leading to greater fraternity.“The poor in spirit is the Christian who doesn’t rely on oneself, on material riches, who doesn’t insist on their own opinions, but listens with respect and willingly defers to others’ decisions,” the Pope said Jan. 29.“If in our community there were more (people who are) poor in spirit, there would be less divisions, conflicts and polemics!” he said, adding that like charity, humility is “an essential virtue for living in Christian communities.”Pope Francis spoke to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his Sunday Angelus address, which this week was attended by roughly 25,000 people, according to the Vatican pol...
Vatican City, Jan 29, 2017 / 09:09 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Sunday Pope Francis said being poor in spirit doesn’t necessarily mean giving things up, but instead is rooted in humility and openness to others – an attitude capable of overcoming polemics and division, and leading to greater fraternity.
“The poor in spirit is the Christian who doesn’t rely on oneself, on material riches, who doesn’t insist on their own opinions, but listens with respect and willingly defers to others’ decisions,” the Pope said Jan. 29.
“If in our community there were more (people who are) poor in spirit, there would be less divisions, conflicts and polemics!” he said, adding that like charity, humility is “an essential virtue for living in Christian communities.”
Pope Francis spoke to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his Sunday Angelus address, which this week was attended by roughly 25,000 people, according to the Vatican police. Among attendees were 3,000 youth from Catholic Action in Rome, who participated as part of their annual “Caravan of Peace” event.
They were invited to join Francis at his window in the Vatican’s apostolic palace, where they read aloud a message for peace, specifically geared toward youth.
In his speech before leading pilgrims in the prayer, the Pope pointed to the day’s Gospel reading from Matthew, which recounts the Beatitudes.
The speech, which begins Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount,” is the “magna carta” of the New Testament,” Francis said, explaining that while Jesus illustrates God’s closeness to the poor and oppressed through the Beatitudes, he does it by following a specific path.
Jesus, he noted, begins by using the word “blessed,” in this case meaning “happiness,” before outlining the conditions needed to obtain it and finally making a promise.
The reason for the Beatitutes, he said, “is not in the conditions requested” such as being poor in spirit, afflicted, hungry for justice or persecuted, but rather is “the promise that follows, to welcome with faith as a gift from God.”
By starting his speech listing conditions of disadvantage, Jesus leads his audience toward openness to God and to the possibility of entering “a new world,” he said, explaining that the process isn’t “an automated mechanism, but a lifestyle of following the Lord.”
For the Lord, the reality of the downtrodden is seen “in a new perspective and expressed according to the conversion that is made,” the Pope said, adding that “one is not blessed if they aren’t converted.”
Turning specifically to the Beatitude of “blessed are the poor in spirit,” Pope Francis said the person who truly lives this is a person “that has assumed the feelings and attitudes of the poor ones (and) who in their condition don’t rebel, but know how to be humble, docile, available to God’s grace.”
He pointed to the “blessedness,” or happiness, of those who are poor in spirit, saying this has a double meaning, and refers to both material goods and to God.
When it comes to material goods, the Pope said this “poverty in spirit” is known as sobriety, which doesn’t necessarily mean “renouncing” one’s goods, but rather being capable of “tasting the essential, of sharing, capable of renewing each day the wonder for the goodness of things.”
Francis warned against the “haze of ravenous consumption,” which he said manifests itself in an attitude of “the more I have, the more I want: this is ravenous consumption. And this kills the spirit.”
“The men or women who do this...are not happy and won’t achieve happiness,” he said, noting that when it comes to God, this happiness is shown in “praise and the recognition that the world is a blessing and that its origin is the creative love of the Father.”
“But it’s also openness to him, docility to his lordship,” he said, explaining that in this sense, it is the poor who keep the goal of obtaining the Kingdom of God alive through a fraternal attitude within their communities “that favors sharing to possession.”
“Always have the heart and hands open, not closed,” he said, adding that when the heart is closed, “it’s a narrow heart: it doesn’t even know how to love. When the heart is open, it goes forward on the path of love.”
After leading pilgrims in praying the Angelus, Pope Francis gave a special greeting to the youth present from Catholic Action and assured of his closeness to all those suffering due to recent earthquakes in Italy.
He also noted that the day marked the World Day of Leprosy, saying “it’s important to fight against this disease, but also against the discriminations that it generates.”
“I encourage the many who are committed in relief and the social reintegration of people affected by leprosy, for whom we assure our prayer.”
Newark, N.J., Jan 29, 2017 / 09:33 am (CNA/EWTN News).- What started as a Mass remembering a Latino baseball star and humanitarian quickly took a violent turn as an auxiliary bishop was assaulted at the Newark cathedral Saturday.Newark Auxiliary Bishop Manuel Cruz was offering the opening prayers of the Mass when a man wearing a white robe over a red suit left his pew, approached the altar, and punched the bishop in the face, according to local news outlets.The bishop fell backwards on the altar. He was taken to the hospital for treatment, although officials say his injuries are not serious.A 48-year-old Newark man has been arrested and charged with assault, according to NJ.com. Officials did not speculate on a possible motive.The Mass – which was being held at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart – was intended to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the death of Roberto Clemente, a Puerto Rican professional baseball player.In addition to making the National Baseba...
Newark, N.J., Jan 29, 2017 / 09:33 am (CNA/EWTN News).- What started as a Mass remembering a Latino baseball star and humanitarian quickly took a violent turn as an auxiliary bishop was assaulted at the Newark cathedral Saturday.
Newark Auxiliary Bishop Manuel Cruz was offering the opening prayers of the Mass when a man wearing a white robe over a red suit left his pew, approached the altar, and punched the bishop in the face, according to local news outlets.
The bishop fell backwards on the altar. He was taken to the hospital for treatment, although officials say his injuries are not serious.
A 48-year-old Newark man has been arrested and charged with assault, according to NJ.com. Officials did not speculate on a possible motive.
The Mass – which was being held at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart – was intended to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the death of Roberto Clemente, a Puerto Rican professional baseball player.
In addition to making the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Clemente was known for his humanitarian work. He died in a plane crash in 1972 while on his way to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
After Bishop Cruz was assaulted, the Mass was rescheduled for the next day at a nearby church, according to TapIntoNewark.com.
“We are thankful that law enforcement officers were able to apprehend the assailant,” archdioceses spokesman James Goodness told reporters. “This is not something that we expect to happen in any of our churches.”
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- So here was Roger Federer, down a break in the fifth set in a Grand Slam final. Across the net was his nemesis, Rafael Nadal, the left-handed Spaniard he hadn't been able to beat in a major final in almost a decade....
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Justin Bieber got a taste of NHL hockey and the Staples Center glass Saturday, courtesy of NHL great Chris Pronger....
"La La Land" may have tied an Oscar record with 14 nominations, set a Golden Globes record with seven wins and won the top prize at Saturday's Producers Guild Awards, but it won't be competing for the top Screen Actors Guild award....
BOSTON (AP) -- Where are the trees? More important, where aren't the trees? A lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is helping some of the world's cities answer both questions in an attempt to make them more pleasant places to live and work....
