Category: +Religion

The Weekly Francis – 11 January 2023

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 18 December 2022 to 11 January 2023.

Apostolic Letter

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “I urge everyone to persevere in demonstrating through closeness and solidarity to the battered people of Ukraine who are suffering very much, asking for the gift of the peace for them.” @Pontifex, 4 January 2023
  • “Discernment is an art that can be learned and has its own rules. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to place on our path people who can accompany us on our journey toward God.” @Pontifex, 4 January 2023
  • “Jesus, Crucified and Risen, the Living One and the Lord, was the destination to which Pope Benedict led us, taking us by the hand. May he help us rediscover in Christ the joy of believing and the hope of living.” @Pontifex, 4 January 2023
  • “vV Image” @Pontifex, 5 January 2023
  • “The Magi who set out following the star teach us that faith is a story of setting out and setting out anew. Faith does not grow if it remains static. We need to bring it outside, to live it in a constant journey towards God and towards our brothers and sisters.” @Pontifex, 6 January 2023
  • “On the Feast of Epiphany, World Missionary Childhood Day is celebrated. I greet all the boys and girls who everywhere in the world are spreading the joy of being Jesus’ friends, and are dedicated through prayer, sacrifice and offerings, to support the missionaries of the Gospel.” @Pontifex, 6 January 2023
  • “I extend my heartfelt best wishes to the communities of the Eastern Churches who celebrate the Nativity of the Lord, in particular the suffering people of Ukraine. May the Lord’s birth instill comfort and inspire concrete steps that can finally lead to peace.” @Pontifex, 7 January 2023
  • “By having himself baptized, Jesus reveals that the true justice of God is the mercy that saves, the love that shares our human condition and is in solidarity with our suffering, entering into our darkness to restore light. #GospelOfTheDay (Mt 3:13–17)” @Pontifex, 8 January 2023
  • “Let us do as Jesus did: let us share, let us carry each other’s burdens, let us look at each other with compassion, let us help each other. Let us ask ourselves: am I a person who divides or shares?” @Pontifex, 8 January 2023
  • “Let us not forget our Ukrainian brothers and sisters. Today, seeing Our Lady who is holding the infant in the Nativity scene, who nurses him, I think of the mothers of the victims of war, of the soldiers who have fallen in this war in Ukraine.” @Pontifex, 8 January 2023
  • “The paths of peace are paths of solidarity, for no one can be saved alone. We live in a world so interconnected that, in the end, the actions of each person affect everyone.
    https://t.co/yIExqxBNkg Speech” @Pontifex, 9 January 2023
  • “Let us #PrayTogether that educators be credible witnesses, teaching fraternity rather than competition, and helping especially the youngest and most vulnerable. #PrayerIntention #ClickToPray RS Video” @Pontifex, 10 January 2023
  • “The joint signing of the #RomeCall for #AIEthics by Catholics, Jews and Muslims is a hopeful sign. Religions are accompanying humanity in the development of a technology centered on the human person, thanks to the shared ethical reflection on the use of algorithms. #Algor-ethics” @Pontifex, 10 January 2023
  • “Sick people are at the centre of God’s people, and the Church advances together with them as a sign of a humanity in which everyone is precious and no one should be discarded or left behind. https://t.co/AvGBBjPkrh Message” @Pontifex, 10 January 2023
  • “#ЗагальнаАудієнція WlRtennh Image” @Pontifex, 11 January 2023
  • “We don’t have to wait til we are perfect to bear witness to Jesus; our proclamation begins today, right where we live. And it does not begin by trying to convince others, but by witnessing every day to the beauty of the Love that has looked upon us and lifted us up.” @Pontifex, 11 January 2023
  • “#GeneralAudience https://t.co/KLGNLTtcvp Image” @Pontifex, 11 January 2023
  • “#ОбщаяАудиенция Image” @Pontifex, 11 January 2023

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 3 January 2023

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 28 December 2022 to 3 January 2023.

Apostolic Letter

General Audiences

Homilies

Papal Tweets

  • “Let us #PrayTogether for Pope Emeritus Benedict who is supporting the Church in silence. Let us ask the Lord to console him and to sustain him in this witness of love for the Church, until the end.” @Pontifex, 28 December 2022
  • ““Everything pertains to love” is the title of the Apostolic Letter to be published today to commemorate the fourth centenary of the death of Saint Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church.
    Apostolic Letter” @Pontifex, 28 December 2022
  • “The Love of God that was revealed in Bethlehem brings consolation to our hearts troubled by the drama of the war in #Ukraine and in other parts of the world. Let us remember that the last word in the history of humanity belongs to God because ”everything pertains to love“.” @Pontifex, 28 December 2022
  • “God loves us so much that He shares our humanity and our lives. He never leaves us alone either in joy or in sorrow because He is the Emmanuel, the God with us, the light that illuminates the darkness and the tender presence that accompanies us on our journey. #Christmas” @Pontifex, 29 December 2022
  • “The Baby Jesus, with his Mother Mary, and St Joseph, radiate the light of mercy and salvation for the human family and for individual families. This light encourages us to offer human warmth to those family living through difficult situations. #HolyFamily” @Pontifex, 30 December 2022
  • “ Image” @Pontifex, 31 December 2022
  • “To all men and women of good will, I express my desire that, as artisans of #peace, you may work, day by day, to make this a good year! May Mary Immaculate, Mother of Jesus and Queen of Peace, intercede for us and for the whole world.” @Pontifex, 1 January 2023
  • “Even when we feel plunged into a dark and difficult maelstrom of injustice and suffering, we are still called to keep our hearts open to hope, trusting in God who accompanies us with tenderness, sustains us, and guides us along our way. #Peace
    yN Message” @Pontifex, 1 January 2023
  • “The divine motherhood of Mary reveals God’s utmost respect for our freedom. God could have come into the world in a thousand ways manifesting his power and, instead, willed to be conceived in full freedom in Mary’s womb.” @Pontifex, 1 January 2023
  • “Let us pray to our Mother in a special way for her children who are suffering and no longer have the strength to pray, and for our many brothers and sisters throughout the world who are victims of war, passing these holidays immersed in violence and indifference.” @Pontifex, 1 January 2023
  • “In celebrating the World Day of Peace, let us implore Mary Most Holy, the Mother of God, so that in this epoch, polluted by diffidence and indifference, she might make us capable of being compassionate and providing care.” @Pontifex, 1 January 2023
  • “At this time, let us invoke the intercession of Mary Most Holy for Pope emeritus Benedict XVI. Let us all join together, with one heart and one soul, in thanking God for the gift of this faithful servant of the Gospel and of the Church.” @Pontifex, 1 January 2023
  • “God does not love us in word but in deed; not from “on high”, from far away, but “up close”, from within our flesh, because in Mary, the Word was made flesh, because in Christ’s chest a heart of flesh continues to beat, it beats for each and every of us!” @Pontifex, 2 January 2023
  • “When we have strong feelings of doubt and fear, and we seem to be sinking, we must not be ashamed to cry out like Peter: “Lord, save me” (Mt 14:30). This is a beautiful prayer! And Jesus immediately stretches out his hand.” @Pontifex, 3 January 2023

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 23 December 2022

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 8 December 2022 to 23 December 2022.

Angelus

General Audiences

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “#Advent reminds us of a basic Christian attitude – vigilance. Let us wait for the Lord’s coming by being attentive to our most vulnerable brothers and sisters who knock on the door of our hearts. Let us ask the Lord to keep us watchful in humility and availability.” @Pontifex, 14 December 2022
  • “Let’s renew our closeness to the battered people of #Ukraine, persevering in fervent #prayer for our brothers and sisters who are suffering so much. Let us celebrate #Christmas in a humbler way, with simpler gifts, and let us send what we save to the Ukrainian people who need it.” @Pontifex, 14 December 2022
  • “At times we find ourselves incapable of recognizeing the newness of the Lord, with the presumption that we already know so much about Him. #Advent, then, is the season to overturn our perspective, to allow ourselves to marvel at the greatness of God’s mercy.” @Pontifex, 15 December 2022
  • “The time is right to evaluate ourselves, to learn, to grow and to allow ourselves to be transformed, both as individuals and as communities. This is a privileged moment to prepare ourselves for “the day of the Lord”. #Peace
    yN Message” @Pontifex, 16 December 2022
  • “God is faithful to His promises and guides our steps in the way of #peace. He guides the steps of those who journey on Earth with their gaze turned toward Heaven.” @Pontifex, 16 December 2022
  • “May Our Lady take us by the hand in these days of preparation for #Christmas. And in the littleness of her Child, may she help us recognize the greatness of the God who comes. #Advent” @Pontifex, 17 December 2022
  • “When we find ourselves in crisis, we should not make decisions quickly or instinctively, but, like Saint Joseph “consider everything”, and base ourselves on the underlying certainty of God’s mercy. #GospeloftheDay (Mt 1:18–24)” @Pontifex, 18 December 2022
  • “Let us ask the Virgin Mary to touch the hearts of those who can stop the war in Ukraine. Let us not forget the suffering of those people, especially of the babies, the elderly, the people who are sick. Let us #PrayTogether.” @Pontifex, 18 December 2022
  • “It’s important to safeguard the roots of life and faith. Thus, the apostle Paul reminds us of the foundation in which to root our lives to remain firm: remain “rooted in Jesus Christ” (Col 2:7) he says. This is what the #Christmas tree reminds us of: being rooted in Jesus Christ.” @Pontifex, 19 December 2022
  • “In these difficult times we are living, let us respond in faith to the appeals the Holy Spirit is directing to us, that we might give the proof of our #solidarity to the people we meet and who count on our fraternal support.” @Pontifex, 20 December 2022
  • “The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to recognize God’s fatherhood. We have a tender, affectionate Father who loves us, who has always loved us. When we experience this, our hearts melt, and doubts and fears dissolve. Nothing can resist this love.” @Pontifex, 21 December 2022
  • “On the Feast when God became a child, let‘s think of the Ukrainian children suffering so much because of this war. Let‘s think of the Ukrainian people deprived of the basics to survive, and let us #PrayTogether to the Lord that He might bring them #peace as soon as possible.” @Pontifex, 21 December 2022
  • “God became a Child and then let himself be nailed on a cross. In that weakness, God’s omnipotence is manifested. In forgiveness, God’s omnipotence is always at work. Thus, may our gifts this #Christmas be gratitude, conversion and peace.
    Speech” @Pontifex, 22 December 2022
  • “Let us ask Mary, the Virgin of Sweet Expectation, to teach us how to ”watch and pray“ so we do not get distracted in our following of her Son, and to discover His saving presence in the events of our daily lives. #Advent” @Pontifex, 23 December 2022

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 13 December 2022

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 24 November 2022 to 13 December 2022.

Angelus

General Audiences

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “Let us place our trust in the Lord of the universe, who loves us immensely and knows that we can build something wonderful, something eternal with Him. The lives of the saints show us this in a most beautiful way. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex, 7 December 2022
  • “Let us entrust to the intercession of the Mother of God the universal desire for peace, in particular for tormented Ukraine, which suffers greatly. With God’s help, peace is possible; disarmament is possible. May Our Lady help us to convert ourselves towards God’s plans.” @Pontifex, 8 December 2022
  • “With Baptism, we became God’s beloved children forever. This is our original beauty, for which to be joyful! Today, Mary, surprised by the grace that made her beautiful from the first instant of her life, leads us to marvel at our beauty. #ImmaculateConception” @Pontifex, 8 December 2022
  • “In the #GospelOfTheDay (Lk 1:26–38), the angel does not call Mary by her name, but with a new name: full of grace. Full of grace, and therefore free from sin, is the name God gives her and that we celebrate today. #ImmaculateConception” @Pontifex, 8 December 2022
  • “The Virgin Mary is the “Way” God Himself prepared to come into the world. Let us #PrayTogether, entrusting to her intercession the salvation and peace awaited by all men and women of our time.” @Pontifex, 8 December 2022
  • “If we embrace Christ with open arms, we will also embrace others with trust and humility.” @Pontifex, 9 December 2022
  • “To protect the human dignity of the weakest by affirming their rights contributes to the growth of human fraternity and safeguards the image of God imprinted in each person. #StandUp4HumanRights #HumanRightsDay” @Pontifex, 10 December 2022
  • “God is always greater than we imagine Him to be. His works are surprising compared to our calculations. His actions exceed our needs and expectations. And for this reason we must never stop seeking Him and transforming ourselves into His true appearance. #Angelus” @Pontifex, 11 December 2022
  • “I invite you to pray, before the creche, that the Nativity of the Lord will bring a ray of peace to children all over the world, especially those forced to live the terrible and dark days of war.” @Pontifex, 11 December 2022
  • “I am following with sorrow and concern the news from South Sudan about the violent clashes over recent days. Let us pray to the Lord for peace and national reconciliation, so that the attacks may cease and that civilians may always be respected.” @Pontifex, 11 December 2022
  • “In the #GospelOfTheDay, John the Baptist is no longer able to recognize in Jesus the awaited Messiah, and he sends the disciples to check. Even the greatest believer goes through the tunnel of doubt. This is not a bad thing, and sometimes it is essential for spiritual growth.” @Pontifex, 11 December 2022
  • “This is a difficult time for humanity, but it is also a propitious time of salvation, in which the Lord, through the Virgin Mary, continues to give us His Son, who calls us to fraternity, to set aside selfishness, indifference and enmity, and to get involved with each other.” @Pontifex, 12 December 2022
  • “Thank you to all who follow me on this account which was opened 10 years ago to proclaim the joy of the Gospel. Let us continue to build up this network as a free space to promote encounter and dialogue and to value what unites us.” @Pontifex, 12 December 2022
  • “In the many painful crossroads of our present history, God continues to send us the Mother of His Son. #OurLadyOfGuadalupe invites us to trust in the ”true God for whom we live“, joyfully and confidently directing us to reaffirm our belonging to the Lord.” @Pontifex, 12 December 2022
  • “Preparing the #creche for Baby Jesus, we once again learn who our Lord is. He is the God of humble meekness, of mercy and love, who intervenes always respecting our freedom and our choices.” @Pontifex, 13 December 2022

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 6 December 2022

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 30 November 2022 to 6 December 2022.

Angelus

General Audiences

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “Before the day’s end, let us learn how to read what has happened during that day in the book of our hearts – not in newspapers, but in my heart. #Discernment” @Pontifex, 30 November 2022
  • “On the Feast of the Apostle Andrew, I would like to express my affection to my dear brother Patriarch Bartholomew I and to the Church of Constantinople. May the intercession of the brothers, Saints Peter and Andrew, obtain full unity for the Church and peace for the entire world.” @Pontifex, 30 November 2022
  • “Let us #PrayTogether that volunteer non-profit and human development organizations may find people willing to commit themselves to the common good and ceaselessly seek out new paths of international cooperation. #PrayerIntention #ClickToPray dHw Video” @Pontifex, 1 December 2022
  • “We are all together called to develop a renewed society oriented towards freedom, justice and peace so as to overcome every kind of inequality and discrimination so that no one can make another person a slave.” @Pontifex, 2 December 2022
  • “Today we want to remember every person with a #disability, especially those suffering because they are living in situations of war or whose disability was caused by combat. @LaityFamilyLife” @Pontifex, 3 December 2022
  • “Let us hear directed to us John’s cry of love to return to God. And let us not let this Advent go by like days on the calendar because this is a moment of grace for us, here and now! #GospelOFTheDay (Mt 3:1–12)” @Pontifex, 4 December 2022
  • “In the #GospeloftheDay (Mt 3:1–12), John the Baptist sayts, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance!” This is a cry of love, like the cry of a father who sees his son ruining himself and says to him, “Don’t throw your life away!” #Advent” @Pontifex, 4 December 2022
  • “The #WordOfGod plunges us into daily life and calls us to listen to the cry of the poor and heed the violence and injustice that wound our world. It challenges Christians not to be indifferent, but to be active, creative and prophetic.” @Pontifex, 5 December 2022
  • “I wish you all a good #Advent journey made up of many small gestures of #peace every day: welcoming gestures, gestures of understanding, closeness, forgiveness, and service… Gestures from the heart, like steps towards Bethlehem, towards Jesus, the King of peace.” @Pontifex, 6 December 2022

Papal Instagram

Angelic Guardians

People know that they have guardian angels, and they’re naturally curious about them.

What do we know about guardian angels? What has God revealed? And what is still unknown?

The term “guardian angel” is a modern one. It is not used in the Bible, and it would have struck biblical audiences as rather surprising.

The reason is that the term angel (Hebrew, mal’ak, Greek, angelos) means messenger, and a messenger and a guardian are two different things. Talking about guardian angels—guardian messengers—would be a little like talking about doctor messengers or accountant messengers.

St. Augustine is famous for pointing out the difference between angel as a job description and the nature of the beings we call angels. He writes:

The angels are spirits. When they are simply spirits, they are not angels, but when they are sent, they become angels; for “angel” is the name of a function, not of a nature. If you inquire about the nature of such beings, you find that they are spirits; if you ask what their office is, the answer is that they are angels. . . . Make a comparison with human affairs. The name of someone’s nature is “human being,” the name of his job is “soldier.” . . . Similarly some beings existed who were created by God as spirits, but he makes them angels by sending them to announce what he has ordered them (Expositions of the Psalms 103:1:15).

The Bible uses the term angel in its original sense of messenger, and when it’s talking about non-human spirits that aren’t functioning as messengers, it uses other terms for them.

For example, sometimes the high-ranking ones are called “sons of God” (Hebrew, bney Elohim) or “princes” (Hebrew, sarim). These are in contrast to the low-ranking spirits who run errands and deliver messages.

However, since low-ranking spirits tend to have the most contact with humans, we encountered the messengers frequently, and during the Christian age the term angel became dominant and started being applied to every non-human spirit other than God.

When do we first begin to hear about guardian angels? The first appearance of the general concept is in a rather surprising context, and it doesn’t refer to spirits guarding individual humans.

Instead, immediately after the fall of man, we read:

He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life (Gen. 3:24).

Today these beings would be classified as angels, but notice that this word isn’t used for them. They’re not delivering messages, and so they’re called cherubim. (Also, cherubs weren’t little babies with wings—those are known in Italian as putti. Cherubim were depicted as frightening animal-human hybrids (see Ezek. 10).

Together with the flaming sword, these cherubim serve as the first angelic guardians in the Bible. But they’re not guarding humans. They’re guarding “the way to the tree of life.”

When is the first time we see angels guarding a human? In the story of Lot, God send messengers (using the term “angel”) to warn him and his family of the destruction of Sodom (Gen. 19:12-22). When he delays leaving, they even grab him and force him out of the city!

We thus see angels being assigned to guard human beings. However, this is a temporary assignment of these angels—not a regular duty.

When is the first mention of angelic beings assigned to regularly guard humans? In the song of Moses, we read:

Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations;
ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.

When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind,
he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.

But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage (Deut. 32:7-9).

What does the text mean when it says God divided mankind and fixed the nations’ borders “according to the number of the sons of God”?

This reflects an idea that was common at the time but is much less familiar to us today.

“The sons of God” were high ranking spirits that today would be called angels, and the idea was that God allotted the different nations of mankind to these care and command of these angelic beings—except for Israel. He kept Israel under his own care and command as “his own” people.

We thus see angelic guardians being assigned to guard groups of people—nations—but not yet individuals.

The same angelic guardians appear in the book of Daniel. Here they are called “princes” or “commanders” (the Hebrew term sarim can be translated either way).

In chapter 10, Daniel fasts and prays, and three weeks later, Gabriel shows up. He explains the delay by saying that “the prince of the kingdom of Persia” detained him, but Michael—“one of the chief princes” (v. 13)—assisted him.

Gabriel also says he and Michael will fight the prince of Persia, making way for the prince of Greece to come to prominent (vv. 20-21).

The fact that the prince of Persia resisted Gabriel and that war must now be made on him indicates that some of the “sons of God” that were put in charge of the nations have gone bad and are opposing God’s will. Today we would call such beings demons, and this was the common biblical understanding of who the gods of foreign people were—their guardian angels who went bad.

Michael is later described as “the great prince who has charge of your people” (12:1), suggesting that God has now involved Michael in his plan for the people of Israel.

The first time we read about angels regularly guarding individual humans is in Matthew. In the context of discipline within the Church, Jesus says:

See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven (18:10).

In context, “these little ones” appear to be Christians (rather than children), so there is a link between Christians and angels who guard them.

Jesus says that the angels “always see the face of my Father who is in heaven”—meaning that the angels have unlimited access to God’s throne room. If something bad is happening with one of their charges, they are guaranteed the ability to intercede with God.

Scripture does not give us much more information than this about angelic guardians. But that hasn’t stopped Christians from wondering about them.

For example, based on the passage in Matthew, they have wondered only Christians have guardian angels or whether all humans do. The Catechism is ambiguous on this question, saying that God surrounds “human life” with angels and that “each believer” has an angel (n. 336).

People have also wondered—on the theory that only Christians might have guardian angels—whether one might gain a guardian angel at baptism. The principal rival theory was that they were gained at birth (something all men share in).

St. Thomas Aquinas favored the view that all human beings get guardian angels at their birth (ST I:113:5). Today we might push this back to conception, and the Catechism circumspectly says that human life has the care of angels “from its beginning until death” (ibid.).

Do some people get extra guardian angels? Like people who become priests or who get married and might need extra grace?

Scripture seems to indicate that—in a general way—people may have more than one angel looking out for them. An ancient Israelite could have Michael as a national patron and also his own personal guardian. In the same way, Michael is regarded as the angelic patron of the entire Church, yet Christians also have individual guardians.

And we saw from Lot’s case that additional guardians could be assigned on an as-needed basis. However, we have no biblical evidence of God stably assigning extra angels to people in states like the priesthood or marriage.

What about the reverse? Could a single angle guard more than one person—the way a shepherd guards a flock of sheep? Jesus’ statement in Matthew doesn’t rule this out. In speaking of “these little ones,” he says, “their angels,” but he doesn’t say each person has uniquely one angel.

Further, Israel is still God’s people, and unless Michael has abandoned his former charge for the Church, he may well be guarding two groups of God’s people.

Like everything in this area, this is a matter of speculation, and we ultimately can’t know. What we can know is that we are protected by angelic guardians and that God will never let us lack for protection. Regardless of the mechanics of how it works out in the invisible world, the amount of protection we need is the amount we will have.

The Weekly Francis – 29 November 2022

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 6 November 2022 to 29 November 2022.

Angelus

Letters

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “The path to happiness is the one that Saint Paul described at the end of one of his letters: “Pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess 5:17–19). #Prayer #ThanksgivingDay” @Pontifex, 24 November 2022
  • “Acts of violence and exploitation directed at women are not merely wrong. They are crimes that destroy the harmony, the harmony and beauty that God wished to bestow on the world.” @Pontifex, 25 November 2022
  • “During this #Advent Season, let us ask the Lord to help us keep the lamp of faith alit in our lives, to be prepared to receive him, and that he fill us with peace and joy.” @Pontifex, 26 November 2022
  • “Let us not tire of saying no to war, no to violence, yes to dialogue, yes to #peace: in particular for the martyred Ukrainian people. Yesterday we remembered the tragedy of the Holodomor.” @Pontifex, 27 November 2022
  • “In the #GospelOfTheDay we hear a promise that introduces us to the Time of #Advent: “Your Lord is coming” (Mt 24:42). This is the foundation of our hope, it is what supports us even in the most difficult moments: God is coming. Let us never forget this!” @Pontifex, 27 November 2022
  • “Violence kills the future. I hope that the Israeli and Palestinian authorities will more readily take to heart the pursuit of dialogue, building mutual trust, without which there will never be a solution for #peace in the #HolyLand.” @Pontifex, 27 November 2022
  • “Season of #Advent, let us be shaken out of our torpor to recognize God’s present in daily situations. If we are unaware of his coming today, we will also be unprepared when He arrives at the end of time. Let us remain vigilant!” @Pontifex, 28 November 2022
  • “God conceals himself in the most ordinary situations of our lives. He does not come in extraordinary events, but in everyday things: our daily work, a chance encounter, someone in need… That’s where the Lord is, who calls to us and inspires our actions. #Advent” @Pontifex, 29 November 2022

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 23 November 2022

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 12 November 2022 to 23 November 2022.

Angelus

Apostolic Letter

General Audiences

Homilies

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “The spiritual state we call desolation can be an opportunity of growth. It provokes a ”shaking of the soul“, fosters vigilance and humility, and protects us from the winds of fancy. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex, 16 November 2022
  • “Let us pray that the Lord might convert the hearts of those who are still directed toward war, and make the desire for peace prevail for tortured Ukraine, to avoid every escalation and to be open to the way of cease fire and dialogue. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex, 16 November 2022
  • “Let us not tire of doing everything possible for the dramatic urgency of climate change. Let us put concrete, far-sighted choices in act, thinking of the younger generations first, before it is too late! #COP27” @Pontifex, 17 November 2022
  • “Where can we find the strength to put ourselves generously at the service of others? In prayer and in the silent contemplation of Christ. A prayerful encounter with Jesus fills our hearts with His peace and love which we can then give to others.” @Pontifex, 18 November 2022
  • “Christ is the unifying centre of all reality. He is the answer to all human questions. He is the fulfilment of every desire for happiness, goodness, love and eternity present in the human heart.” @Pontifex, 19 November 2022
  • “Jesus, naked on the cross, removes every veil from God and destroys every false image of His kingship. Let us look upon Him to find the courage to make ourselves servants, so as to reign with Him. #ChristTheKing g Vatican” @Pontifex, 20 November 2022
  • “We are living a famine of peace in our time. Let’s think of how many places in the world are scourged by war, in particular of war-torn Ukraine. Let us roll up our sleeves and continue to pray for #peace!” @Pontifex, 20 November 2022
  • “Let us also pray for the families of the victims of the serious fire in a refugee camp in Gaza, in Palestine, where several children also died. May the Lord welcome into heaven those who lost their lives and console those people who have suffered years of conflict.” @Pontifex, 20 November 2022
  • ““Mary arose and went with haste” (Lk 1:39) is the theme of this #WorldYouthDay. Aiming for the heights, getting on the move, leaving behind our own fears to take someone in need by the hand, is the secret to remaining young. #AriseandGo @laityfamilylife” @Pontifex, 20 November 2022
  • “In the #GospelOfTheDay (Lk 23:35–43), the good thief calls Jesus by name, he confesses his faults, he begs: ”Jesus, remember me“. In this way, a criminal becomes the first saint: he draws near to Jesus for an instant and the Lord keeps him forever at his side.” @Pontifex, 20 November 2022
  • “Through prayerful silence and hidden sacrifice, contemplative monasteries maternally sustain the life of the Church. #ProOrantibus” @Pontifex, 21 November 2022
  • “Each time we join our hands and open our hearts to God, we find ourselves in the company of anonymous saints and official saints who pray with us and intercede for us as older brothers and sisters who have preceded us on this same human adventure. #Prayer” @Pontifex, 22 November 2022
  • “Spiritual consolation is an experience of interior joy that allows us to see God’s presence in everything. It strengthens faith, hope, and the ability of doing good; it helps us never give up in the face of difficulties because it gives us a peace that is stronger than any trial.” @Pontifex, 23 November 2022
  • “In the past few hours, the island of #Java in Indonesia was hit by a strong #earthquake. I express my nearness to that dear population and I pray for the dead and the injured.” @Pontifex, 23 November 2022
  • “I would like to send my greetings to the athletes, fans and spectators following the football #WorldCup taking place in Qatar. May this important event be an occasion for encounter, fostering fraternity and peace among peoples. #Qatar2022” @Pontifex, 23 November 2022
  • “Let us #PrayTogether for #peace in the world, with a special thought for the people of Ukraine. This Saturday is the anniversary of the terrible #Holodomor genocide. Let us pray for the children, the women and the elderly, who are today suffering the martyrdom of the aggression.” @Pontifex, 23 November 2022

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 15 November 2022

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 12 September 2022 to 15 November 2022.

Angelus

General Audiences

Homilies

Letters

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “Each and every person is needed in order for the journey of fraternity and peace to progress. Let us all hear the call to expand our horizons to open our hearts because we are all brothers and sisters.” @Pontifex, 9 November 2022
  • “I renew my invitation to pray for war-torn #Ukraine. Let us ask the Lord for peace for these people who are suffering so much cruelty on the part of some mercenaries making war. Let us #PrayTogether” @Pontifex, 9 November 2022
  • “Saints do not come from a “parallel universe”. They are believers rooted in their daily activities with their families, study, work; social, economic and political life. In all these settings, they fearlessly strive to carry out God’s will.” @Pontifex, 10 November 2022
  • “A saint is a luminous reflection of the Lord of history. The path of holiness is universal. It is a call directed toward each of us that begins with Baptism and is unique and unrepeatable for each person.” @Pontifex, 11 November 2022
  • “The poor guarantee us an eternal ”income“. They are already helping us to become rich in love. For the worst kind of poverty to combat is the poverty of our love.” @Pontifex, 12 November 2022
  • “On this #WorldDayOfThePoor, God’s word is a forceful admonition to break through that inner deafness that prevents us from listening to the stifled cry of pain of the frailest. #GospelOfTheDay (Lk 21:5–19)
    Uf Event” @Pontifex, 13 November 2022
  • “Let us not be content, like the people in the #GospelOfTheDay (Lk 21:5–19), to admire the beautiful stones of the temple, while failing to recognize God’s true temple, the human person, especially the poor, in whose face, in whose wounds, we encounter Jesus. #WorldDayOfThePoor” @Pontifex, 13 November 2022
  • “Let us always remain close to our brothers and sisters in martyred Ukraine. Close in prayer and with concrete solidarity. Peace is possible! Let us not resign ourselves to war.” @Pontifex, 13 November 2022
  • “On the first anniversary of the launch of the #LaudatoSi’ Platform for Action, which promotes ecological conversion, I encourage this mission, crucial for the future of humanity, so that it may foster in everyone a genuine commitment to the care of creation.” @Pontifex, 14 November 2022
  • “I would like to recall the #COP27 Summit on Climate Change, which is taking place in Egypt. I hope that steps forward will be made, with courage and determination, in the wake of the Paris Agreement.” @Pontifex, 14 November 2022
  • “Goodness is hidden, silent; it requires slow and continuous excavation. Because God’s style is discreet. He does not impose himself. He is like the air we breathe – we don’t see it but it allows us to live, and we realize it only when it’s missing.” @Pontifex, 15 November 2022

Papal Instagram