Catholic News 2

(Vatican Radio) On April 25th 2015 a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Nepal leaving devastation in its wake. Yet one year on the thousands of people who lost everything in the disaster are still living in temporary shelters made from salvaged wood covered with corrugated metal sheets.

Although little progress has been made in rebuilding the many homes destroyed as a result of the quake, aid agencies in the country are helping the population to rebuild their lives.

One of those organisations is the UK based Catholic aid agency CAFOD. The agency and its partners, were on the front line in the immediate aftermath of the disaster reaching hundreds of thousands of people with vital aid, including food, shelter and hygiene and sanitation kits and warm materials to help them through the winter.

Director of CAFOD’s partner Caritas Nepal, Fr. Silas Bogati said that the Caritas Confederation has reached out to 350 thousand people.

Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s interview with Fr Silas Bogati

“We have provided temporary shelter materials and food and non food items to restart their lives but that is not enough now, we have come around with a one year cycle, people have faced a hard monsoon also winter…so it is essential to start the reconstruction of permanent shelter for these people and the government has just given us permission to do that.”

CAFOD is working with two communities in Rasuwa District displaced from their remote villages, which were totally destroyed by the earthquake.

The agency's partners have also trained more than 250 construction workers and masons in earthquake-proof techniques.

According to Fr Bogati, despite what the people have had to endure, they remain steadfast in their hope that they will have a brighter future to look forward to.

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is attending an event at Rome’s Villa Borghese this Sunday evening to mark Earth Day.

The initiative entitled “Earth Village. Living the City Together. Rome in Mariapolis,” is sponsored by  Earth Day Italia, Connect 4 Climate and the Focolare Movement of Rome.

According to the Focolare Movement, “the idea is to create a temporary village within the city, with the involvement of numerous initiatives which daily work to make the capital a better place in which to live, where each citizen or tourist, no matter their age, social class or culture, can experience their own irreplaceable contribution to the life of the city.”

Pope Francis last year released his encyclical Laudato Si in which called on people to “care for our common home”.

The Rome event come just days after world leaders officially signed the Paris Agreement on climate, COP21.

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Vatican City, Apr 24, 2016 / 07:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Freedom does not come from things we possess or from doing whatever we want, Pope Francis said Sunday in his homily for the Jubilee for boys and girls. Rather, true freedom and happiness can only be found in the love of Jesus.  

“Your happiness has no price,” the Pope said during Mass in St. Peter's Square. “It cannot be bought: it is not an app that you can download on your phones nor will the latest update bring you freedom and grandeur in love.”

“That is because love is a free gift which calls for an open heart,” he said. “It is a noble responsibility which is life-long; it is a daily task for those who can achieve great dreams!”

Francis challenged the young teens to not “be content with mediocrity,” or believe those who equate importance with the sort of toughness shown by heroes in films, or by wearing the “latest fashions.”

“Don't believe those who would distract you from the real treasure, which you are, by telling you that life is beautiful only if you have many possessions.”

Delivering his homily to the over 90,000 people overflowing the Square, Pope Francis assured the teens that, because of their friendship with Christ, they are never alone.

“Even if you disappoint him and walk away from him, Jesus continues to want the best for you and to remain close to you; he believes in you even more than you believe in yourself.”

“The biggest threat to growing up well comes from thinking that no one cares about us, from feeling that we are all alone,” he said. “The Lord, on the other hand, is always with you and he is happy to be with you.”

Moreover, Jesus calls young people to follow him, just as he did the first disciples, the Pope added. “Jesus is waiting patiently for you. He awaits your response. He is waiting for you to say 'yes'.”

The Jubilee for boys and girls, geared specifically towards young teenagers, is the latest initiative for the Holy Year of Mercy, which began on December 8. The three-day event started Saturday with the sacrament of reconciliation in St. Peter's Square – where Pope Francis himself heard confessions -- followed by a youth rally in Rome's Olympic Stadium.

In his homily, Pope Francis stressed that love is the “Christian's identity card,” and is “the only valid 'document' identifying us as Christians.”

“If this card expires and is not constantly renewed, we stop being witnesses of the Master,” he said.

Those who wish to be Jesus' disciples, to be “his faithful friends,” and to “experience his love,” must learn how to love from him.

Going off the cuff, the Pope said that Jesus' “true friends” stand out because theirs is a “genuine love that shines forth in their way of life,” through “real actions.”

“Those who are not real and genuine and who speak of love are like characters is a soap opera, some fake love story,” he said.

“Before all else, love is beautiful, it is the path to happiness,” Pope Francis said, but he warned that this path is also demanding and “requires effort.”

The Pope gave the example of everyone who has given us a gift, invested time, and sacrificed for our sake. He cited in particular the sacrifices made by the parents and group leaders who organized the pilgrimages to Rome for this weekend's Jubilee for boys and girls.

“To love means to give, not only something material, but also something of one’s self: one’s own time, one’s friendship, one’s own abilities.”

Addressing the teens present at the Mass, Francis acknowledged their “growing desire to demonstrate and receive affection.”

“The Lord, if you let him teach you, will show you how to make tenderness and affection even more beautiful,” the Pope said.

Moreover, this love is not possessive, but allows the other person freedom. “There is no true love that is not free!” he said in unscripted remarks.

Today's “consumerist culture” reinforces the temptation to “'have to have' what we find pleasing,” the Pope said.

“Yet when we hold on too tightly to something, it fades, it dies, and then we feel confused, empty inside.”

“The Lord, if you listen to his voice, will reveal to you the secret of love. It is caring for others, respecting them, protecting them and waiting for them.”

Pope Francis acknowledged the teenagers “great longing for freedom,” but warned that freedom does not mean “doing whatever you want.”
This interpretation of freedom “makes us self-centred and aloof, and it prevents us from being open and sincere friends.”

“Instead, freedom is the gift of being able to choose the good,” he said. “The free person is the one who chooses what is good, what is pleasing to God, even if it requires effort.”

Pope Francis stressed that love is more than a “sweet poem” we study and memorize, but a “life choice” which must be practiced.

“Love is nurtured by trust, respect and forgiveness,” he said, adding that we grow in love through Jesus, who “gives us himself in the Mass, he offers us forgives and peace in Confession. There we learn to receive his love, to make it ours and to give it to the world.”

“And when loving seems hard, when it is difficult to say no to something wrong, look up at Jesus on the cross, embrace the cross and don’t ever let go of his hand. He will point you ever higher, and pick you up whenever you fall.”

“Throughout life we will fall many times, because we are sinners, we are weak,” the Pope said, again going off script. “But there is always the hand of God who picks us up, who raises us up. Jesus wants us to be up on our feet!”

Pope Francis concluded his homily by speaking about the capability of young people towards “acts of great friendship and goodness,” and challenged them to live their “youth and all its gifts to the fullest and without fear of hard work.”

“Be like sporting champions, who attain high goals by quiet daily effort and practice,” and whose daily routine consists of the works of mercy.

“Enthusiastically practice them, so as to be champions in life, champions of life! In this way you will be recognized as disciples of Jesus.”

Towards the end of Mass, Pope Francis delivered his Regina Caeli address, during which he praised the youth for their “joyful and boisterous witness,” encouraging them to “go forward with courage.”

The Pope also remembered Saturday's beatification in Burgos, Spain of the priest Valentín Palencia Marquina who, along with four others, were martyred for their faith during the Spanish Civil War.

“We praise the Lord for these courageous witnesses and to beseech their intercession to free the world from all violence,” he said.

Pope Francis also expressed his concern for bishops, priests and religious – Catholic and Orthodox alike -- who have been kidnapped in Syria. He prayed that God in his mercy would touch the “hearts of the kidnappers,” and release “our brothers and sisters” back to their communities. Leading into the Marian prayer, he asked everyone to pray for these, and all victims of kidnapping through the world.

After reciting the Regina Caeli, Pope Francis once again addressed the young people in the crowd.

“You have celebrated the Jubilee (for boys and girls): Now back home with the joy of your Christian identity. Standing, head held high, and with your ID card in your hands and in your heart!”

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis presiding over a Jubilee Mass for Teens in St Peter's Square on Sunday told them "the true friends of Jesus stand out essentially by the genuine love that shines forth in their way of life." He also told the 13 to 16 year olds that although love is the path to happiness, it is not an easy one and requires effort. He also said, happiness has no price.  "It cannot be bought: it is not an app that you can download on your phones nor will the latest update bring you freedom and grandeur in love."

Below find Pope Francis' homily during Sunday's Jubilee Mass for Teens

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35).

Dear young friends, what an enormous responsibility the Lord gives us today!  He tells us that the world will recognize the disciples of Jesus by the way they love one another.  Love, in other words, is the Christian’s identity card, the only valid “document” identifying us as Christians.  If this card expires and is not constantly renewed, we stop being witnesses of the Master.  So I ask you: Do you wish to say yes to Jesus’ invitation to be his disciples?  Do you wish to be his faithful friends?  The true friends of Jesus stand out essentially by the genuine love that shines forth in their way of life.  Do you want to experience his love?  Let us learn from him, for his words are a school of life, a school where we learn to love.

Before all else, love is beautiful, it is the path to happiness.  But it is not an easy path.  It is demanding and it requires effort.  Think, for example, of when we receive a gift.  It makes us happy, but receiving a gift means that someone generous has invested time and effort; by their gift they also give us a bit of themselves, a sacrifice they have made.  Think too of the gift that your parents and group leaders have given you in allowing you to come to Rome for this Jubilee day dedicated to you.  They planned, organized, and prepared everything for you, and this made them happy, even if it meant that they had to give up a trip for themselves.  To love means to give, not only something material, but also something of one’s self: one’s own time, one’s friendship, one’s own abilities.

Look to the Lord, who is never outdone in generosity.  We receive so many gifts from him, and every day we should thank him…  Let me ask you something.  Do you thank the Lord every day?  Even if we forget to do so, he never forgets, each day, to give us some special gift.  It is not something material and tangible that we can use, but something even greater, a life-long gift.  He offers us his faithful friendship, which he will never take back.  Even if you disappoint him and walk away from him, Jesus continues to want the best for you and to remain close to you; he believes in you even more than you believe in yourself.  This is very important!  Because the biggest threat to growing up well comes from thinking that no one cares about us, from feeling that we are all alone.  The Lord, on the other hand, is always with you and he is happy to be with you.  As he did with his first disciples, he looks you in the eye and he calls you to follow him, to “put out into the deep” and to “cast your nets wide” trusting in his words and using your talents in life, in union with him, without fear.  Jesus is waiting patiently for you.  He awaits your response.  He is waiting for you to say “yes”.

Dear young friends, at this stage in your lives you have a growing desire to demonstrate and receive affection.  The Lord, if you let him teach you, will show you how to make tenderness and affection even more beautiful.  He will guide your hearts to “love without being possessive”, to love others without trying to own them but letting them be free.  There is always a temptation to let our affections be tainted by an instinctive desire to “have to have” what we find pleasing.  Our consumerist culture reinforces this tendency.  Yet when we hold on too tightly to something, it fades, it dies, and then we feel confused, empty inside.  The Lord, if you listen to his voice, will reveal to you the secret of love.  It is caring for others, respecting them, protecting them and waiting for them.

At this point in life you feel also a great longing for freedom.  Many people will say to you that freedom means doing whatever you want.  But here you have to be able to say no.  Freedom is not the ability simply to do what I want.  This makes us self-centred and aloof, and it prevents us from being open and sincere friends.  Instead, freedom is the gift of being able to choose the good.  The free person is the one who chooses what is good, what is pleasing to God, even if it requires effort.  Only by courageous and firm decisions do we realize our greatest dreams, the dreams which it is worth spending our entire lives to pursue.  Don’t be content with mediocrity, with “simply going with the flow”, with being comfortable and laid back.  Don’t believe those who would distract you from the real treasure, which you are, by telling you that life is beautiful only if you have many possessions.  Be sceptical about people who want to make you believe that you are only important if you act tough like the heroes in films or if you wear the latest fashions.  Your happiness has no price.  It cannot be bought: it is not an app that you can download on your phones nor will the latest update bring you freedom and grandeur in love.

That is because love is a free gift which calls for an open heart; it is a noble responsibility which is life-long; it is a daily task for those who can achieve great dreams!  Love is nurtured by trust, respect and forgiveness.  Love does not happen because we talk about it, but when we live it: it is not a sweet poem to study and memorize, but is a life choice to put into practice!  How can we grow in love?  The secret, once again, is the Lord: Jesus gives us himself in the Mass, he offers us forgives and peace in Confession.  There we learn to receive his love, to make it ours and to give it to the world.  And when loving seems hard, when it is difficult to say no to something wrong, look up at Jesus on the cross, embrace the cross and don’t ever let go of his hand.  He will point you ever higher, and pick you up whenever you fall.

I know that you are capable of acts of great friendship and goodness.  With these you are called to build the future, together with others and for others, but never against anyone!  You will do amazing things if you prepare well, starting now, by living your youth and all its gifts to the fullest and without fear of hard work.  Be like sporting champions, who attain high goals by quiet daily effort and practice.  Let your daily programme be the works of mercy.  Enthusiastically practice them, so as to be champions in life!  In this way you will be recognized as disciples of Jesus.  And your joy will be complete.

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(Vatican Radio) At the heart of Pope Francis’ message during the Jubilee Mass for Teens celebrated on Sunday was quite simply one word Love.

The Pope told the thousands of 13 to 16 year olds gathered in St Peter’s Square that “love, was the Christian’s identity card, the only valid “document” identifying us as Christians.  If this card expires and is not constantly renewed,” he said, “we stop being witnesses of the Master.”

Then he asked the teenagers gathered “Do you want to experience the love of Jesus? Let us learn from him, for his words are a school of life, a school where we learn to love.”

The Holy Father noted, however, that although love is beautiful and it the path to happiness it is not necessarily and easy path.  It is, he said, demanding and it requires effort. 

Listen: 

The Lord, Pope Francis stressed, is generous, “he offers us his faithful friendship, which he will never take back.  Even if you disappoint him and walk away from him, Jesus continues to want the best for you and to remain close to you; he believes in you even more than you believe in yourself.” This is very important, the Pope noted because, “the biggest threat to growing up well comes from thinking that no one cares about us, from feeling that we are all alone.”

During his homily the Pope also warned the teens present to be on their guard against what he called “an instinctive desire to “have to have” what we find pleasing”, adding,  “our consumerist culture reinforces this tendency.”

“Don’t be content with mediocrity, with “simply going with the flow”, with being comfortable and laid back,” the Holy Father said. He also told the teenagers to be sceptical about “people who want to make you believe that you are only important if you act tough like the heroes in films or if you wear the latest fashions.”  Your happiness, the Pope continued, has no price.  “It cannot be bought: it is not an app that you can download on your phones nor will the latest update bring you freedom and grandeur in love.”

Pope Francis invited those present in St Peter’s Square to be courageous and firm in their decisions because, he said, it is only by doing this you will realize your greatest dreams, adding,  “if a person of your age can’t dream they are already in retirement, this serves nothing.”

Love does not happen because we talk about it, the Pope underlined, “but when we live it”. He also said : "In the art of climbing, the important thing is not to remain on the ground when you fall.”

The Holy Father concluded his homily by saying to the teenagers “you will do amazing things if you prepare well, starting now, by living your youth and all its gifts to the fullest and without fear of hard work.  Be like sporting champions, he said who attain high goals by quiet daily effort and practice.”

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(Vatican Radio) During his Regina Coeli address on Sunday, Pope Francis prayed for the release of those priests and religious held hostage in Syria saying, "may the merciful God touch the hearts of the kidnappers". He also remembered young martyrs killed during the Spanish Civil War who were beatified in Burgos, Spain on Saturday.

Below is an English translation of the Pope's words before and after the Regina Coeli

At the end of this Jubilee celebration, my thoughts turn in a particular to you, dear boys and girls. You have come from Italy and from all over the world to experience moments of faith and fraternal conviviality. Thank you for your joyful and boisterous testimony. Go forward with courage!

Yesterday, in Burgos (Spain), saw the beatification of priest Valentín Palencia Marquina and four of his fellow young martyrs, killed for their faith during the Spanish Civil War. We praise the Lord for these courageous witnesses and to beseech their intercession to free the world from all violence.

I am always concerned about the brother bishops, priests and religious, Catholic and Orthodox, seized a long time ago in Syria. May the merciful God touch the hearts of the kidnappers and grant that our brothers and sisters will be freed as soon as possible and allowed to return to their communities. This is why I call you all to pray, not to mention other people abducted in the world.

Let us entrust all our aspirations and our hopes to the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy.

Following the Regina Coeli

Dear young people, you celebrated the Jubilee: Now return home with the joy of your Christian identity. Standing, head held high, and with your ID card in your hands and in your heart! May the Lord accompany you. And, please pray for me. Thank you.

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