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Pope Francis celebrated Mass for the Marian Jubilee on Sunday as part of the celebrations for the Year of Mercy. In his homily he told the faithful present in St Peter's Square that, "we are given a model, indeed the model, to whom we can look: Mary, our Mother." The Pope also stressed the importance of gratitude saying, "to be able to offer thanks, to be able to praise the Lord for what he has done for us: this is important!" 

Below find the the English translation of the Pope's Homily

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis

Marian Jubilee

9 October 2016

This Sunday’s (cf. Lk 17,11-19) Gospel invites us to acknowledge God’s gifts with wonder and gratitude.  On the way to his death and resurrection, Jesus meets ten lepers, who approach him, keep their distance and tell their troubles to the one whom their faith perceived as a possible saviour: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (v. 13).  They are sick and they are looking someone to heal them.  Jesus responds by telling them to go and present themselves to the priests, who according to the Law were charged with certifying presumed healings.  In this way, Jesus does not simply make them a promise; he tests their faith.  At that moment, in fact, the ten were not yet healed.  They were restored to health after they set out in obedience to Jesus’ command.  Then, rejoicing, they showed themselves to the priests and continued on their way.  They forgot the Giver, the Father, who cured them through Jesus, his Son made man.

            All but one: a Samaritan, a foreigner living on the fringes of the chosen people, practically a pagan!  This man was not content with being healed by his faith, but brought that healing to completion by returning to express his gratitude for the gift received.  He recognized in Jesus the true Priest, who raised him up and saved him, who can now set him on his way and accept him as one of his disciples.

            To be able to offer thanks, to be able to praise the Lord for what he has done for us: this is important!  So we can ask ourselves: Are we capable of saying “Thank you”?  How many times do we say “Thank you” in our family, our community, and in the Church?  How many times do we say “Thank you” to those who help us, to those close to us, to those who accompany us through life?  Often we take everything for granted!  This also happens with God.  It is easy to approach the Lord to ask for something, but to return and give thanks...  That is why Jesus so emphasizes the failure of the nine ungrateful lepers: “Were not ten made clean?  But the other nine, where are they?  Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (Lk 17:17-18).

            On this Jubilee day, we are given a model, indeed the model, to whom we can look: Mary, our Mother.  After hearing the message of the Angel, she lifted up her heart in a song of praise and thanksgiving to God: “My soul magnifies the Lord…”  Let us ask our Lady to help us recognize that everything is God’s gift, and to be able to say “Thank you”.  Then our joy will be complete.

            It also takes humility to be able to give thanks. In the first reading we heard the singular story of Naaman, the commander of the army of the King of Aram (cf. 2 Kg 5:14-17).  In order to be cured of his leprosy, he accepts the suggestion of a poor slave and entrusts himself to the prophet Elisha, whom he considered an enemy.  Naaman was nonetheless ready to humble himself.  Elisha asks nothing of him, but simply orders him to bathe in the waters of the River Jordan. This request leaves Naaman perplexed, even annoyed.  Can a God who demands such banal things truly be God?  He would like to turn back, but then he agrees to be immersed in the Jordan and immediately he is cured.

            The heart of Mary, more than any other, is a humble heart, capable of accepting God’s gifts.  In order to become man, God chose precisely her, a simple young woman of Nazareth, who did not dwell in the palaces of power and wealth, who did not do extraordinary things.  Let us ask ourselves if we are prepared to accept God’s gifts, or prefer instead to shut ourselves up within our forms of material security, intellectual security, the security of our plans.

            Significantly, Naaman and the Samaritans were two foreigners. How many foreigners, including persons of other religions, give us an example of values that we sometimes forget or set aside!  Those living beside us, who may be scorned and sidelined because they are foreigners, can instead teach us how to walk on the path that the Lord wishes.  The Mother of God, together with Joseph her spouse, knew what it was to live far from home.  She too was long a foreigner in Egypt, far from her relatives and friends.  Yet her faith was able to overcome the difficulties.  Let us cling to this simple faith of the Holy Mother of God; let us ask her that we may always come back to Jesus and express our thanks for the many benefits we have received from his mercy.

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis at the end of his Angelus on Sunday announced the creation of 17 new Cardinals. A consistory will be held on the 19 of November, the eve of the closing of the Jubilee of Mercy.

13 of the new Cardinals will be under 80 years and will be eligible to vote in a conclave.

The Holy Father said that the those chosen come from five continents. They include three American Archbishops and Archbishops from Mauritius and Bangladesh.

Below find the list of new Cardinals

Archbishop Mario Zenari, Italy

Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga, Central African Republic

Archbishop Carlos Osoro Sierra, Spain

Archbishop Sérgio da Rocha, Brazil

Archbishop Blase J. Cupich, U.S.A. 

Archbishop Patrick D’Rozario, Bangladesh

Archbishop Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, Venezuela

Archbishop Jozef De Kesel, Belgium

Archbishop Maurice Piat, Mauritius

Archbishop Kevin Joseph Farrell, U.S.A.

Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes, Mexico

Archbishop John Ribat, Papua Nuova Guinea

Archbishop Mons. Joseph William Tobin U.S.A.

Archbishop Anthony Soter Fernandez, Archbishop Emeritus of Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Archbishop Renato Corti, Archbishop Emeritus of Novara Italy

Archbishop Sebastian Koto Khoarai, Bishop Emeritus of Mohale’s Hoek Lesotho

Father Ernest Simoni, presbytery of the Archdiocese of Shkodrë-Pult, Scutari – Albania.

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(Vatican Radio) Just after the Pope’s announcement on Sunday of a consistory to create 17 new Cardinals, Vatican Radio spoke to  Archbishop Maurice Piat of Port-Louis on the island of Mauritius to get his reaction.

Archbishop Piat said that he was, “very thankful to Pope Francis for having called me to such a responsibility. I am very touched by the trust he puts in me which is far from being deserved. I am at his disposal for whatever service he will ask of me…”

The consistory for the creation of 17 new Cardinals will take place on the 19th of November.

Listen: 

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis during his Angelus address on Sunday prayed for those stricken by Hurricane Matthew, saying “I learned with sorrow of the serious consequences caused by the hurricane which recently hit the Caribbean, especially Haiti, leaving many victims and displaced persons, as well as substantial property damage. I assure my closeness to the people and express confidence in the sense of solidarity of the international community, of Catholic institutions and people of good will. I invite you to join me in prayer for these brothers and sisters, so sorely tried.”

The Holy Father also remembered the beatification on Saturday in Oviedo, Spain of Fr Gennaro Fueyo Castañón and three lay companions. “We praise the Lord”, he said, “ for these heroic witnesses of the faith, combined to ranks of the martyrs that have given their lives in the name of Christ.”

In concluding remarks the Pope greeted all the pilgrims who participated in the Marian Jubilee and thanked them for their presence.

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Vatican City, Oct 9, 2016 / 03:55 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At the close of the Marian Jubilee, Pope Francis said that it’s often strangers and even people from other religions who remind us of the Christian virtues of humility and thanksgiving, of which Mary is a prime model.

“How many foreigners, including persons of other religions, give us an example of values that we sometimes forget or set aside,” the Pope said Oct. 9.

People who live among us but might be “scorned and sidelined because they are foreigners,” can in fact be the ones who “teach us how to walk on the path that the Lord wishes.”

Not only were the 10 lepers healed by Jesus in the day’s Gospel from Luke foreigners, the only one who gave thanks being a Samaritan, but Mary and Joseph were also strangers in a foreign land, Francis noted.

Mary “knew what it was to live far from home. She too was long a foreigner in Egypt, far from her relatives and friends,” he said, “yet her faith was able to overcome the difficulties.”

“Let us cling to this simple faith of the Holy Mother of God; let us ask her that we may always come back to Jesus and express our thanks for the many benefits we have received from his mercy.”

Pope Francis spoke to the thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square to celebrate Mass on the final day of the Oct. 7-8 Marian Jubilee, which is part of the Pope’s wider Jubilee of Mercy.

The Marian Jubilee opened Oct. 7 with Mass in the Roman Basilica of Saint Mary Major. The Mass was followed by the recitation of the rosary in Saint Peter’s Square and the Prayer to the Queen of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii.

Adoration and confessions were then available until midnight in the parishes of Santa Maria in Valicella, also called "Chiesa Nuova," and San Salvatore in Lauro.

Jubilee activities continued Saturday morning with a pilgrimage to the Holy Doors of the four Major Basilicas in Rome: St. Mary Major, St. Paul Outside the Wall, St. John Lateran and St. Peter's.

Groups of various Marian delegations from national communities and shrines then participated in a special procession to St. Peter's Square, where Pope Francis led pilgrims in praying the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary before delivering his address.

Celebrations for the Marian Jubilee concluded Sunday following the Pope Francis’ Mass.

In his homily, the Pope pointed to how when Jesus healed 10 lepers in the day’s Gospel from Luke, all but one came back to give thanks: “a Samaritan, a foreigner living on the fringes of the chosen people, practically a pagan!”

“This man was not content with being healed by his faith, but brought that healing to completion by returning to express his gratitude for the gift received,” he said, adding that to be able to give thanks and praise the Lord for what he has done for us “is important!”

“How many times do we say ‘thank you’ in our family, our community, and in the Church? How many times do we say ‘thank you’ to those who help us, to those close to us, to those who accompany us through life?” he asked, noting that often times “we take everything for granted,” even with God.

Pope Francis stressed that amid our own shortcomings, “we are given a model, indeed the model, to whom we can look: Mary, our Mother,” who gave thanks to God in her “Magnificat.”

It takes humility to be able to give thanks to God, he said, explaining that the heart of Mary “more than any other, is a humble heart, capable of accepting God’s gifts.”

“In order to become man, God chose precisely her, a simple young woman of Nazareth, who did not dwell in the palaces of power and wealth, who did not do extraordinary things,” he said, and urged those present to ask themselves whether or not they are able to receive what God offers.

“Let us ask ourselves if we are prepared to accept God’s gifts, or prefer instead to shut ourselves up within our forms of material security, intellectual security, the security of our plans,” he said.

The Pope noted how despite being far from home and estranged in a foreign land, Mary was able to overcome her difficulties thanks to her faith.

He closed his homily praying that all, like Mary, “may always come back to Jesus and express our thanks for the many benefits we have received from his mercy.”

After Mass, Pope Francis greeted all those who came to Rome for the Marian Jubilee, and offered some words of comfort and solidarity to those suffering due to the Hurricane Matthew before leading pilgrims in the traditional Angelus prayer.

“I have learned of the serious consequences caused by the hurricane which in recent days has hit the Caribbean, in particular Haiti, leaving numerous victims and displaced persons, as well as material damage,” he said.

Francis assured his prayer and closeness to those affected, and voiced his confidence in the solidarity of the international community, Catholic institutions and of all people of good will, inviting them to unite “to my prayer for these brothers and sisters, so sorely tested.”

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Vatican City, Oct 9, 2016 / 04:39 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Sunday Pope Francis announced that he will hold a consistory of cardinals on the Nov. 19 vigil of the close of the Jubilee of Mercy, during which he will elevate 17 new cardinals – including three Americans.

“Dear brothers and sisters I am happy to announce that Saturday, Nov. 19 at the vigil for the closing of the Holy Door of mercy, a consistory will take place for the nomination of 13 cardinals from 5 continents,” the Pope said Oct. 9.

“The fact that they come from 11 nations expresses the universality of the Church, which announces and bears witness to the good news of the mercy of God in every corner of the earth.”

Opened Dec. 8, 2015 – the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – the Jubilee is set to close Nov. 20, with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

Among the 17 new cardinal-elects are three Americans: Archbishop Blasé Cupich of Chicago, Archbishop Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis and Bishop Kevin Farrell, prefect of the new Congregation for Laity, Family and Life.

Others of voting age include: Archbishop Mario Zenari, who is and will remain apostolic nuncio to the “beloved and martyred” Syria; Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga of Bangui; Archbishop Carlos Osoro Sierra of Madrid; Archbishop Sergio da Rocha of Brazil; Archbishop Patrick D'Rozario of Dakha, Bangladesh; Archbishop Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo of Merida, Venezuela; Archbishop Joseph de Kesel of Malines Brussels; Bishop Maurice Piat of Port-Louis, Mauritius Island; Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes of Tlalnepantla, Mexico and Archbishop John Ribat of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

In addition to the 13 new electoral cardinals, Francis has nominated four others who are of non-voting age due to their notable service to the Church: Anthony Soter Fernandez, Archbishop Emeritus of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Renato Corti, Archbishop Emeritus of Novara and Sebastian Koto Khoarai, O.M.I, Bishop Emeritus of Mohale’s Hoek, Lesotho.

Additionally, he nominated Fr Ernest Simoni, an Albanian priest from the diocese of Shkodra, whose testimony of the persecution of the Albanian Church under the communist regime the Pope cried at during his 2014 daytrip to the country.

The consistory will be the third of Pope Francis’ pontificate, the most recent of which took place last year on Valentines Days.

Francis has, as in previous years, stuck close to his vision of having a broader, more universal representation of the Church in the College of Cardinals, elevating many bishops who come from small countries or islands that have never before had a cardinal, as well as from countries which present particular challenges in terms of pastoral outreach, such as those stricken with violence or persecution.

Out of the Pope's new nominations, seven come from countries that have previously never had a cardinal, including: the Central African Republic, Bangladesh, Mauritius Island, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Lesotho and Albania.

With the 17 new cardinal-elects included, the number of voting cardinals comes to 121, and the number of non-voters to 107, for a grand total of 228.

 

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