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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has issued a warning against the “anaesthetized” consciences of those who see the poor and needy as a burden instead of as brothers and sisters to be helped.Celebrating Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for some 6000 poor and homeless people from countries in Europe and Africa, the Pope said "We should be worried when our consciences are anaesthetized and we no longer see the brother or sister suffering at our side, or notice the grave problems in our world, which become a mere refrain familiar from the headlines on the evening news."Sunday’s celebration concluded the Holy Year’s Jubilee for the Socially Excluded which saw charity groups bringing poor and homeless people to the Vatican for the occasion. Pope Francis held a special audience on Friday with over 4000 poor people whom he said “are at the heart of the Gospel”. And they – the poor- whom Pope Francis said should be seen as “...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has issued a warning against the “anaesthetized” consciences of those who see the poor and needy as a burden instead of as brothers and sisters to be helped.
Celebrating Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for some 6000 poor and homeless people from countries in Europe and Africa, the Pope said "We should be worried when our consciences are anaesthetized and we no longer see the brother or sister suffering at our side, or notice the grave problems in our world, which become a mere refrain familiar from the headlines on the evening news."
Sunday’s celebration concluded the Holy Year’s Jubilee for the Socially Excluded which saw charity groups bringing poor and homeless people to the Vatican for the occasion. Pope Francis held a special audience on Friday with over 4000 poor people whom he said “are at the heart of the Gospel”.
And they – the poor- whom Pope Francis said should be seen as “concrete people, not useless objects but precious persons” were the ones seated in the front pews of the Basilica during Mass on Sunday morning when Francis pointed out that God and neighbor are the most valuable riches in life, while “all the rest, even this Basilica, pass away”.
With a stern warning against today’s culture of waste, he said “It is the symptom of a spiritual sclerosis when we are only interested in objects to be produced rather than in persons to be loved. This is the origin of the tragic contradiction of our age: as progress and new possibilities increase, which is a good thing, less and less people are able to benefit from them.”
“There is no peace in the homes of the prosperous as long as justice is lacking in the home of everyone” he said.
Noting that today, in the cathedrals and sanctuaries throughout the world, the closing of the Doors of Mercy signals the end of the Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis concluded asking “for the grace not to close our eyes to God who sees us and to our neighbour who asks something of us”.
“May the Lord grant that we may look without fear to what truly matters, and turn our hearts to our true treasure” he said.
Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ homily:
“For you… the sun of justice shall rise, with healing in its wings” (Mal 4:2). The words of the Prophet Malachi, which we heard in the first reading, shed light on today’s Jubilee. They come to us from the last page of the last Old Testament prophet. They are words directed to those who trust in the Lord, who place their hope in him, who see in him life’s greatest good and refuse to live only for themselves and their own interests. For those who are materially poor but rich in God, the sun of justice will rise. These are the poor in spirit, to whom Jesus promised the kingdom of heaven (cf. Mt 5:3) and whom God, through the words of the Prophet Malachi, calls “my special possession” (Mal 3:17). The prophet contrasts them with the proud, those who seek a secure life in their self-sufficiency and their earthly possessions. This last page of the Old Testament raises challenging questions about the ultimate meaning of life: where do I look for security? In the Lord or in other forms of security not pleasing to God? Where is my life headed, what does my heart long for? The Lord of life or ephemeral things that cannot satisfy?
Similar questions appear in today’s Gospel. Jesus is in Jerusalem for the last and most important page of his earthly life: his death and resurrection. He is in the precincts of the Temple, “adorned with noble stones and offerings” (Lk 21:5). People were speaking of the beautiful exterior of the temple, when Jesus says: “The days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another” (v. 6). He adds that there will be no lack of conflicts, famine, convulsions on earth and in the heavens. Jesus does not want to frighten us, but to tell us that everything we now see will inevitably pass away. Even the strongest kingdoms, the most sacred buildings and the surest realities of this world do not last for ever; sooner or later they fall.
In response, people immediately put two questions to the Master: “When will this be, and what will be the sign?” (v. 7). When and what… We are constantly driven by curiosity: we want to know when and we want to see signs. Yet Jesus does not care for such curiosity. On the contrary, he exhorts us not to be taken in by apocalyptic preachers. Those who follow Jesus pay no heed to prophets of doom, the nonsense of horoscopes, or terrifying sermons and predictions that distract from the truly important things. Amid the din of so many voices, the Lord asks us to distinguish between what is from him and what is from the false spirit. This is important: to distinguish the word of wisdom that the God speaks to us each day from the shouting of those who seek in God’s name to frighten, to nourish division and fear.
Jesus firmly tells us not to be afraid of the upheavals in every period of history, not even in the face of the most serious trials and injustices that may befall his disciples. He asks us to persevere in the good and to place all our trust in God, who does not disappoint: “Not a hair of your head will perish” (v. 18). God does not forget his faithful ones, his precious possession. He does not forget us.
Today, however, he questions us about the meaning of our lives. Using an image, we could say that these readings serve as a “strainer” through which our life can be poured: they remind us that almost everything in this world is passing away, like running water. But there are treasured realities that remain, like a precious stone in a strainer. What endures, what has value in life, what riches do not disappear? Surely these two: the Lord and our neighbour. These two riches do no disappear! These are the greatest goods; these are to be loved. Everything else – the heavens, the earth, all that is most beautiful, even this Basilica – will pass away; but we must never exclude God or others from our lives.
Today, though, when we speak of exclusion, we immediately think of concrete people, not useless objects but precious persons. The human person, set by God at the pinnacle of creation, is often discarded, set aside in favour of ephemeral things. This is unacceptable, because in God’s eyes man is the most precious good. It is ominous that we are growing used to this rejection. We should be worried when our consciences are anaesthetized and we no longer see the brother or sister suffering at our side, or notice the grave problems in our world, which become a mere refrain familiar from the headlines on the evening news.
Dear brothers and sisters, today is your Jubilee. Your presence here helps us to be attuned to God’s wavelength, to see what he sees. He sees not only appearances (cf. 1 Sam 16:7), but turns his gaze to the “humble and contrite in spirit” (Is 66:2), to the many poor Lazaruses of our day. What harm we do to ourselves when we fail to notice Lazarus, excluded and cast out (cf. Lk 16:19-21)! It is turning away from God himself. It is the symptom of a spiritual sclerosis when we are only interested in objects to be produced rather than on persons to be loved. This is the origin of the tragic contradiction of our age: as progress and new possibilities increase, which is a good thing, less and less people are able to benefit from them. This is a great injustice that should concern us much more than knowing when or how the world will end. Because we cannot go about our business quietly at home while Lazarus lies at the door. There is no peace in the homes of the prosperous as long as justice is lacking in the home of everyone.
Today, in the cathedrals and sanctuaries throughout the world, the Doors of Mercy are being closed. Let us ask for the grace not to close our eyes to God who sees us and to our neighbour who asks something of us. Let us open our eyes to God, purifying the eye of our hearts of deceitful and fearful images, from the god of power and retribution, the projection of human pride and fear. Let us look with trust to the God of mercy, with the certainty that “love never ends” (1 Cor 13:8). Let us renew our hope in the true life to which we are called, the life that will not pass away and that awaits us in communion with the Lord and with others, in a joy that will last forever, without end.
And let us open our eyes to our neighbour, especially to our brothers and sisters who are forgotten and excluded, to the “Lazarus” at our door. That is where the Church’s magnifying glass is pointed. May the Lord free us from turning it towards ourselves. May he turn us away from the trappings that distract us, from interests and privileges, from attachment to power and glory, from being seduced by the spirit of the world. Our Mother the Church looks “in particular to that portion of humanity that is suffering and crying out, because she knows that these people belong to her by evangelical right” (PAUL VI, Address at the beginning of the Second Session of the Second Vatican Council, 29 September 1963). By right but also by evangelical duty, for it is our responsibility to care for the true riches which are the poor. In the light of these reflections, I would like today to be the “day of the poor”. We are reminded of this by an ancient tradition according to which the Roman martyr Lawrence, before suffering a cruel martyrdom for the love of the Lord, distributed the goods of the community to the poor, whom he described as the true treasure of the Church. May the Lord grant that we may look without fear to what truly matters, and turn our hearts to our true treasure.
Vatican City, Nov 13, 2016 / 05:17 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung Coadjutor Bishop of the diocese of Hong Kong, the Vatican announced Sunday.Bishop Ming-cheung, 69, has been auxiliary bishop of Hong Kong since Aug. 30, 2014. At the same time, he was also named Titular Bishop of Mons in Numidia by Pope Francis. He succeeds Cardinal John Tong Hon, 77, who has passed the minimum retirement age of 75.Born in Shanghai on Dec. 1, 1946, Bishop Ming-cheung was ordained a priest of the diocese of Hong Kong on June 10, 1978. He held a variety of pastoral and administrative roles. From 1980-1982 he received a master’s in social communications at Syracuse University in the U.S.Returning to China, he served as director of the office of Social Communications for the diocese of Hong Kong from 1982-1986. He later returned to the U.S. to study at Harvard University, where he received a master’s degree in philosophy of education.He then he...
Vatican City, Nov 13, 2016 / 05:17 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung Coadjutor Bishop of the diocese of Hong Kong, the Vatican announced Sunday.
Bishop Ming-cheung, 69, has been auxiliary bishop of Hong Kong since Aug. 30, 2014. At the same time, he was also named Titular Bishop of Mons in Numidia by Pope Francis. He succeeds Cardinal John Tong Hon, 77, who has passed the minimum retirement age of 75.
Born in Shanghai on Dec. 1, 1946, Bishop Ming-cheung was ordained a priest of the diocese of Hong Kong on June 10, 1978. He held a variety of pastoral and administrative roles. From 1980-1982 he received a master’s in social communications at Syracuse University in the U.S.
Returning to China, he served as director of the office of Social Communications for the diocese of Hong Kong from 1982-1986. He later returned to the U.S. to study at Harvard University, where he received a master’s degree in philosophy of education.
He then held the position of director of the Office of Education in the diocese of Hong Kong from 1990-2013. He was appointed vicar general of the diocese in 2009 and a member of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.
Bishop Ming-cheung’s appointment comes after the Vatican issued a statement Nov. 7 declaring that unverified reports of bishop ordinations taking place within the so-called “underground Church” in China had neither the authorization of the Holy See, nor had they been officially communicated.
“The Holy See has not authorized any ordination, nor has it been officially informed of such events. Should such episcopal ordinations have occurred, they would constitute a grave violation of canonical norms,” the communique read.
Signed by Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, the statement referred to recent unsubstantiated reports that, without authorization from the Pope, the ordination of some bishops took place recently in the so-called “underground Church” in Continental China.
As the statement read: “In recent weeks, there has been a series of reports regarding some episcopal ordinations conferred without Papal Mandate of priests of the unofficial community of the Catholic Church in Continental China.”
“The Holy See hopes that such reports are baseless,” it continued. “If not, it will have to await reliable information and sure documentation before adequately evaluating the cases.”
“However, it is reiterated that it is not licit to proceed with any episcopal ordination without the necessary Papal Mandate, even by appealing to particular personal beliefs.”
The announcement was made amid recent reports of a possible agreement between the Holy See and China concerning the appointment of Chinese bishops.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, told nuncios gathered in Rome Sept. 16-18 that the talks with China deal with the appointment of bishops, and do not deal with any possibility of establishing diplomatic ties.
The agreement, if it takes place, will likely be based on Cardinal Parolin’s model implemented in Vietnam back in 1996: the Holy See proposes a set of three bishops to the Hanoi government, and Hanoi makes its choice.
Problems with this model do exist, however, including that the Vietnam administration often delays its approval, leaving dioceses vacant for years. Then, when they make the choice, they usually prefer a pro-government candidate.
Ever since the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, the Holy See has had a reduced diplomatic presence in Beijing, with the nunciature being moved to Taiwan in 1951.
China-Vatican relations have been cool, with some apparent thaws. Benedict XVI wrote a letter to Catholics in China in 2007, after which followed a series of bishops’ appointments approved both by the Chinese government and the Holy See.
The Church in China is in a difficult situation. The government of the Chinese People’s Republic never recognized the Holy See’s authority to appoint bishops. Instead, it established the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, a sort of ecclesiastical hierarchy officially recognized by the Chinese authorities.
For this reason, Chinese bishops recognized by the Holy See entered a clandestine state, thus giving life to the so called “underground Church” that is not recognized by the government.
Cardinal Joseph Zen Zekiung, archbishop emeritus of Hong Kong, disapproved of the potential agreement between the Chinese government and the Holy See regarding bishop appointments.
In a long open letter, he lamented that nothing would change in terms of religious freedom in China. He expressed his concern that this path would be a return of the “Ostpolitik,” the Cold War policy put into action under Pope Paul VI by the Holy See.
The Vatican made reciprocal concessions with countries on the other side of Europe’s Iron Curtain in order to guarantee a peaceful life to Christians in the countries under Soviet communist domination.
Cardinal John Tong Hon, Cardinal Zen’s successor as Archbishop of Hong Kong, responded to Cardinal Zen. He specified that final choice on a bishop’s appointment was always the Pope’s. He highlighted the fact that papal nuncios themselves can seek opinions from external lay people when they are examining candidates for the episcopate.
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) -- The Iraqi army said Sunday that troops have driven Islamic State militants out of the town of Nimrud, south of Mosul, near the site of famed ancient Assyrian ruins that were reportedly destroyed by the extremists....
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A powerful earthquake struck New Zealand near the city of Christchurch early Monday, with strong jolts causing some damage to buildings over 200 kilometers (120 miles) away in the capital, Wellington....
