Christians share hope, not 'vinegar of bitterness,' pope says
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IMAGE: CNS/Paul HaringBy Cindy WoodenVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians are called to be"sowers of hope," consoling and defending the poor and anyone inneed, Pope Francis said.As Christians prepared to celebrate Pentecost June 4, Pope Francis used hisweekly general audience May 31to speak about the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen the hope ofbelievers and to send them forth to instill hope in others.Sowing bitterness or perplexity, he said, "isn'tChristian and if you do this, you aren't Christian. Sow hope. Spread the oil ofhope, diffuse the perfume of hope and not the vinegar of bitterness andhopelessness."In his Letter to the Romans (15:13), St. Paul prays, "May the God of hope fillyou with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by thepower of the Holy Spirit."Having an abundance of hope, Pope Francis said, means notonly hoping that when life is over one will be with God. It also means havingthe strength today to continue hoping "even when there is les...
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring
By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians are called to be
"sowers of hope," consoling and defending the poor and anyone in
need, Pope Francis said.
As Christians prepared to celebrate Pentecost June 4, Pope Francis used his
weekly general audience May 31
to speak about the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen the hope of
believers and to send them forth to instill hope in others.
Sowing bitterness or perplexity, he said, "isn't
Christian and if you do this, you aren't Christian. Sow hope. Spread the oil of
hope, diffuse the perfume of hope and not the vinegar of bitterness and
hopelessness."
In his Letter to the Romans (15:13), St. Paul prays, "May the God of hope fill
you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the
power of the Holy Spirit."
Having an abundance of hope, Pope Francis said, means not
only hoping that when life is over one will be with God. It also means having
the strength today to continue hoping "even when there is less human
reason for hoping."
"Hope truly is like a sail," the pope said.
"It gathers the wind of the Spirit and transforms it into a driving force
that pushes the boat out to sea or to the shore, depending on circumstances."
"It pushes us to go forward, always forward," he
said. The Holy Spirit "makes us feel like pilgrims and strangers and does
not allow us to sit back and become a sedentary people."
Jesus promised his disciples the Holy Spirit as a
"paraclete," a provider of consolation and a defense, the pope said,
and those who have been blessed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit are in turn
called to console and defend others.
"Console and defend like the Holy Spirit does for each
of us who are here in the square. Console and defend," he said. "We
must be the same for the neediest, the discarded, those who need it most, those
who suffer most. Console and defend."
Saying, "This seems strange, but it's true," Pope
Francis noted how St. Paul also taught that the Holy Spirit gives hope to all
of creation, which is "groaning in labor pains" but expectant in
hope. "This pushes us to respect creation: one cannot sully a painting
without offending the artist who created it."
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Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne. / Credit: Diocese of Burlington, VermontCNA Staff, Apr 29, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).A New England prelate is urging Catholics to both minister to transgender-identifying individuals in the Catholic Church while still continuously affirming "the goodness of human creation" as male and female.Coadjutor Archbishop Christopher Coyne of Hartford, Connecticut, told CNA last week that he would make it a point not to challenge a transgender-identifying man or woman when they present as the opposite sex.Coyne appeared on Connecticut Public Radio earlier this month arguing against the basic claim of gender ideology, which argues that men and women who "identify" as the opposite sex should be treated as such."Biology is biology. You're either XX or XY. That's a scientific fact. You can't un-prove that fact," the bishop told public radio. But, he argued, the LGBT debate has "pulled me more into a place of understanding and care," including regarding trans...
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The Verona Arena is illuminated at night on Aug. 3, 2018, in Verona, Italy. The Holy See Press Office on Monday, April 29, 2024, released the pope's schedule for a one-day trip to the city scheduled for May 18, 2024, on the vigil of Pentecost. / Credit: Athanasios Gioumpasis/Getty ImagesRome Newsroom, Apr 29, 2024 / 11:30 am (CNA).After completing a one-day trip to Venice, Pope Francis is set to return to northern Italy in late May for a visit to the city of Verona, where he will attend events focused on peace and justice while also meeting with clergy, laity, and inmates. The Holy See Press Office on Monday released the pope's schedule for the one-day trip scheduled for May 18 on the vigil of Pentecost. Located in the Veneto region, approximately 75 miles from Venice, the city is renowned for its trove of Roman antiquities, medieval architecture, and as the setting of Shakespeare's tragedy "Romeo and Juliet."Pope Francis will leave the Vatican by helicopter at 6:30 ...
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Pope Francis waves while traveling by boat in Venice, Italy, for a meeting with young people at the Basilica della Madonna della Salute on April 28, 2024. Earlier in the day he met with inmates at a women's prison. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNARome Newsroom, Apr 28, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).Pope Francis opened his one-day visit to Venice on Sunday morning with a meeting with female inmates where he reaffirmed the importance of fraternity and human dignity, noting that prison can be a place of new beginnings. "A stay in prison can mark the beginning of something new, through the rediscovery of the unsuspected beauty in us and in others, as symbolized by the artistic event you are hosting and the project to which you actively contribute," the pope said to the female inmates gathered in the intimate courtyard of the Women's Prison on the Island of Giudecca. Pope Francis left the Vatican by helicopter at approximately 6:30 in the mo...