Category: +Religion

The Weekly Francis – 11 April 2023

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 5 April 2023 to 11 April 2023.

General Audiences

Homilies

Messages

Regina Caeli

Papal Tweets

  • “During these holy days, let’s draw near the Crucified One. Let’s place ourselves before him, stripped, to take an honest look at ourselves, removing whatever is superfluous. Let’s look at him, wounded, and place our wounds in his. Let’s let Jesus regenerate hope in us. #HolyWeek” @Pontifex, 5 April 2023
  • “Without the Lord’s Spirit, there can be no Christian life. Without his anointing, there can be no holiness. It is fitting that today, on the birthday of the priesthood, we acknowledge that He is at the origin of the ministry, the life and vitality of every Pastor. #HolyThursday” @Pontifex, 6 April 2023
  • “On the cross, Jesus refused to yield to despair, but he prayed and entrusted Himself to the Father. In His abandonment, he continued to love and forgive His crucifiers. Jesus, in His abandonment, asks us to see and have a heart for the many ”abandoned Christs“.” @Pontifex, 7 April 2023
  • “#ViaCrucis #GoodFriday U Image” @Pontifex, 7 April 2023
  • “Today the power of Easter calls you to roll away every stone of disappointment and mistrust. The Lord is an expert in rolling back the stones of sin and fear. He wants to illuminate your sacred memory, your most beautiful memory, to make you relive your first encounter with him.” @Pontifex, 8 April 2023
  • “Let us revive the beauty of that moment when we realized that he is alive and we made him the Lord of our lives. Let us return to Galilee. Let each of us return to his or her own Galilee, to the place where we first encountered him. Let us rise to new life!” @Pontifex, 8 April 2023
  • “Let us make haste to surmount our conflicts and divisions, and to open our hearts to those in greatest need. Let us hasten to pursue paths of peace and fraternity.” @Pontifex, 9 April 2023
  • “To rise again, to start anew, to take up the journey, we always need to return to Galilee, that is, to go back to the living, concrete and palpable memory of our first encounter with him.” @Pontifex, 9 April 2023
  • “#Easter yeultk Image” @Pontifex, 9 April 2023
  • “Jesus, the Living One, is with us, forever. Let the Church and the world rejoice, for today our hopes no longer come up against the wall of death, for the Lord has built us a bridge to life.” @Pontifex, 9 April 2023
  • “May we allow ourselves to experience amazement at the joyful proclamation of Easter, at the light that illumines the darkness and the gloom in which, all too often, our world finds itself enveloped.” @Pontifex, 9 April 2023
  • “The #GospelOfToday lets us relive the women’s encounter with the Risen Jesus on Easter morning. Jesus meets them while they are going to announce him. This is beautiful: when we proclaim the Lord, the Lord comes to us. #Easter” @Pontifex, 10 April 2023
  • “When hope is spent and we feel loneliness in our hearts, inner weariness, the torment of sin, the fear of failure, let us return to Jesus. For He is the only one who always defeats death and always renews our life. #Easter” @Pontifex, 11 April 2023

Papal Instagram

Vampire Suicide and More Weird Questions – Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World

It’s time for another set of weird questions posed by Cy Kellet of Catholic Answers to Jimmy Akin, including this time: whether time travel interferes with God’s plans; could an alien 2,000 light years away see Jesus on Earth; the origin of coal and the Great Flood; ghost hunting TV shows; and whether vampires could commit suicide to protect others.

Help us continue to offer Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. Won’t you make a pledge at SQPN.com/give today?

Questions covered:

  • 02:31 – If a human is a rational animal (that’s to say that it has the natural tendency to grow, eat, feel, see, will, and reason) then would the consecrated Eucharist have these innate tendencies as well? Are there any conditions under which the Eucharist can do even one of those things mentioned, let alone all of them?
  • 05:24 – By time traveling are you interfering with God’s plan? Even if we think we are stopping an evil act, God has his reasons.
  • 07:26 – If you were to save someone in the past would that person in the new timeline have a different soul? They lived a longer lifetime and committed other acts either righteous or sinful. To me that would logically mean it’s not the same soul since we are judged by our one life. One version of the person could have gone to hell and other to heaven.
  • 10:00 – Given the speed of light, is it possible that a person, right now, on a planet 2000 light years away and with a telescope so powerful that he could see onto the surface of the earth in great detail, could watch Jesus walking and teaching.
  • 12:49 – Will every curiosity or question that I have in this life have an answer in heaven, or will the experience of sanctification or purgatory simply remove that curious or questioning spirit from me?
  • 14:48 – What is your take on the floating log mat model for the origin of coal beds and biogeography? As both a coal miner and a Catholic, I am interested in the theory that the great flood caused a mass (or masses) of fallen logs to float about the world, but I have a hard time making the leap that this proves a young earth and our previous theories for the formation of coal seams taken millions of years are no longer valid. On a related note, is the story of the great flood required to be taken literally, or could it have been a regional flood that wiped out the human population but maybe did not cover the entire earth?
  • 18:40 – I became Catholic, I enjoyed those shows on Travel Channel like Ghost Adventures, where these paranormal investigators would lock themselves in a “haunted” place and try to capture evidence of the paranormal through EVP [that is, Electronic Voice Phenomena] sessions and whatnot. I don’t necessarily believe it was all real (or all fake for that matter either) and I’m a fairly educated individual and understand the behavioral psychology of “hearing voices” through EVP and, as such, am highly skeptical. HOWEVER, these shows are very entertaining, and I have to admit, I enjoy them, for entertainment. As a Catholic, is it a sin to watch these shows for entertainment? I would never even think of doing it myself or even put any stock in what they do. I know we are forbidden from attempting to contact the dead, but is watching these shows for entertainment, per se, sinful? I can’t find anything definitive about it.
  • 32:40 – Let’s say, in an alternate timeline, the Left Behind fictional series, centered around the end of the world and the 2nd coming of Christ, was authored by faithful Catholics. In order to keep the series in line with Church teaching, what events would need to be included, what events would need to be omitted, and what events may or may not be included as they are subject to theological speculation?
  • 37:03 – Suppose someone became an undead vampire. Yet, they still have a moral conscience and know right from wrong. The Church also teaches that suicide is a mortal sin. Would it be a sin for such a person to commit suicide in order to protect others from becoming a vampire?
  • 45:48 – How would you reconcile Earth’s liturgical calendar with planets that have longer or shorter solar years? Can you have Easter twice in one year? Could you have a year without Christmas?

This Episode is Brought to You By:
Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World is brought to you in part through the generous support of Catechism Class, a dynamic weekly podcast journey through the Catechism of the Catholic Church by Greg and Jennifer Willits. It’s the best book club, coffee talk, and faith study group, all rolled into one. Find it in any podcast directory.

Fiorvento Law, PLLC, specializing in adult guardianships and conservatorships, probate and estate planning matters. Accepting clients throughout Michigan. Taking into account your individual, healthcare, financial and religious needs. Visit FiorventoLaw.com

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The Weekly Francis – 4 April 2023

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 30 March 2023 to 4 April 2023.

Angelus

Apostolic Letter

Homilies

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “Let us #PrayTogether for a more widespread culture of non-violence, that will progress when countries and citizens alike resort less and less to the use of arms. #PrayerIntention #ClickToPray Video” @Pontifex, 30 March 2023
  • “I am touched by the many messages received in these hours and I express my gratitude for the closeness and prayer.” @Pontifex, 30 March 2023
  • “When experienced with faith, the trials and difficulties of life serve to purify our hearts, making them humbler and thus more and more open to God. #Lent” @Pontifex, 31 March 2023
  • “Living #HolyWeek means entering ever more deeply into God’s logic, into the logic of the Cross, which is not primarily that of suffering and death, but rather that of love and of the gift of self that brings life.” @Pontifex, 1 April 2023
  • “I thank everyone for their closeness and prayer. I entrust the sick to Mary, especially the youngest, like those I met in the oncology ward at Gemelli. Let us pray for those who suffer the loss of dear ones and for those who work in hospitals. It takes courage. I admire them. https://t.co/WBUBDEmzdW Image” @Pontifex, 1 April 2023
  • “On the cross, Christ put Himself in solidarity with us so that each of us can say: In my failures, in my desolation, when I feel betrayed and abandoned, You are there, Jesus. When I feel I can’t take it anymore, you are with me. In all my unanswered “why’s”, you are with me.” @Pontifex, 2 April 2023
  • ““My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46). These are the words that bring us to the very heart of Christ’s passion, the culmination of the sufferings He bore to save us. #PalmSunday” @Pontifex, 2 April 2023
  • “Abandoned, Christ stirs us to seek and love Him in the abandoned. For they are not only people in need, but He is there – Jesus abandoned – the One who saved us by descending to the depths of our human condition. #PalmSunday” @Pontifex, 2 April 2023
  • “God chose to enter into our human history the most difficult way possible: the cross. This way, no one could ever be so desperate and not to be able to find Him, even in the midst of anguish and abandonment. God arrived in the very place we didn’t think He could be.” @Pontifex, 3 April 2023
  • “During these days of Holy Week, let us #PrayTogether more intensely for the war-torn people of Ukrainia, and for all peoples experiencing war, that with God’s help, paths of peace might be opened.” @Pontifex, 3 April 2023
  • “From the Cross forgiveness poured forth and fraternal love was reborn: the Cross makes us brothers and sisters. #HolyWeek” @Pontifex, 4 April 2023

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 29 March 2023

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 9 March 2023 to 29 March 2023.

Angelus

General Audiences

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “In #Lent, may we be increasingly concerned with speaking words of comfort, strength, consolation and encouragement, and not words that demean, sadden, anger or show scorn.” @Pontifex, 23 March 2023
  • “The martyrs are the most precious gift God could have given to His Church, for in them that “greater love” that Jesus showed us on the cross becomes a reality.” @Pontifex, 24 March 2023
  • “Today I am thinking of 25 March last year, when, in union with all the bishops, the Church and humanity, in particular Russia and Ukraine, were consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Let us not tire of entrusting the cause of peace to the Queen of Peace!” @Pontifex, 25 March 2023
  • “God came to live among us thanks to Mary’s ‘yes’ at the moment of the #Annunciation. It’s the most important ‘yes’ in history, a humble ‘yes’ that undoes the prideful ‘no’ of Genesis, a faithful ‘yes’ that heals disobedience, a willing ‘yes’ that overturns the egoism of sin.” @Pontifex, 25 March 2023
  • “There are moments when life seems to be a sealed tomb: all is dark, and around us we see only sorrow and despair. In #TodaysGospel (Jn 11:1–45) Jesus tells us that in these moments we are not alone. Precisely in these moments He comes closer than ever to restore life to us.” @Pontifex, 26 March 2023
  • “#TodaysGospel (Jn 11:1–45 is a hymn to life. Jesus teaches us not to let ourselves be imprisoned by pain, not to let hope die. He wants us free and living, he does not abandon us, he is always with us. He tells us, like Lazarus: come back to life!” @Pontifex, 26 March 2023
  • “Let us continue to pray for the tormented Ukrainian people. And let us stay close also to the earthquake victims of Turkey and Syria. Let us also pray for the population of the state of Mississippi, struck by a devastating tornado. Let’s #PrayTogether” @Pontifex, 26 March 2023
  • “We need to be cleansed of all the dust that has sullied our hearts. How? Prayer, fasting, works of mercy: this is the journey of #Lent.” @Pontifex, 27 March 2023
  • “During this Season of #Lent, it’s good not to turn off the light in our rooms without placing ourselves before God’s light. Let’s give the Lord the chance to reawaken our hearts by opening the Gospel and letting ourselves be amazed by the #WordofGod that illuminates our steps.” @Pontifex, 28 March 2023
  • “We must never forget the moment and the way in which God enters into our lives, treasuring in our hearts and minds that encounter with Grace that enkindles faith in our hearts and sparks zeal for the Gospel within us.” @Pontifex, 29 March 2023

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 22 March 2023

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 1 August 2022 to 22 March 2023.

Angelus

Apostolic Letter

General Audiences

Homilies

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “Is your faith tired? Do you want to reinvigorate it? Look for God’s gaze: sit in adoration, allow yourself to be forgiven in Confession, stand before the Crucified One. In short, let him love you. #Lent” @Pontifex, 16 March 2023
  • “In Confession, let’s give God first place. Once he is in charge, everything becomes beautiful and confession becomes the Sacrament of joy, not of fear and judgement, but of joy. #24hourswiththeLord” @Pontifex, 17 March 2023
  • “#24HourswiththeLord https://t.co/fEkeNpiYeO Image” @Pontifex, 17 March 2023
  • “We are sinners and in need of mercy like the air we breathe. Willingness to convert – to allow ourselves to be purified, to change our lives – is a sign of courage, of strength. #Lent” @Pontifex, 18 March 2023
  • “Only those who are poor in spirit, in need of salvation, who beg for grace, present themselves before God without vaunting their merits, without pretense or presumption. Having nothing, they therefore find everything, because they find the Lord. #24HourswiththeLord” @Pontifex, 18 March 2023
  • “The Sacrament of Reconciliation is, and must be, a festive encounter that heals the heart and leaves us with inner peace. It is not a human tribunal to be afraid of, but a divine embrace by which we are consoled. #24HourswiththeLord” @Pontifex, 18 March 2023
  • “There is no acceptance without integration. People need to be accompanied from the beginning until they are truly integrated into our society. As Scripture bids us: “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you” (Lev 19:34). m Speech” @Pontifex, 18 March 2023
  • “Yesterday in #Ecuador, an earthquake caused deaths, injuries and considerable damage. I am near to the Ecuadorian people and I assure you of my prayer for the deceased and for all who are suffering.” @Pontifex, 19 March 2023
  • “Today, we extend best wishes to all fathers! May they find in Saint Joseph a model, support and consolation to live their fatherhood well. Let us #PrayTogether for Fathers.” @Pontifex, 19 March 2023
  • “Let us ask the grace to be surprised every day by God’s gifts and to see the various circumstances of life, even the ones that are the most difficult to accept, as occasions to do good, as Jesus did with the blind man. #GospelOfTheDay (Jn 9:1–41)” @Pontifex, 19 March 2023
  • “Everyone can discover in #SaintJoseph a man who goes unnoticed, a man whose daily presence is discreet and hidden, an intercessor, a support, and a guide in difficult moments.” @Pontifex, 20 March 2023
  • “Every human person is sacred and inviolable. To ensure that a society has a future, it is necessary that a sense of respect be matured for the dignity of every person, no matter in what condition they find themselves.” @Pontifex, 21 March 2023
  • “The international community must work together to guarantee access and sanitation services for everyone, so that the right to water, which is none other than the right to life, to a future, to hope, might become a reality at the universal level.#WorldWaterDay” @Pontifex, 22 March 2023
  • “Chosen and loved by God, we are called to live ”as is fitting among the saints“ (Eph 5:3), to clothe ourselves with sentiments of goodness, humility, magnanimity, bearing the fruits of the Spirit. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex, 22 March 2023

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 15 March 2023

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 9 March 2023 to 15 March 2023.

Angelus

General Audiences

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “Almsgiving, practised far from the spotlight, gives peace and hope to the heart. It reveals to us the beauty of giving, which then becomes receiving, and thus enables us to discover a precious secret: our hearts find more joy in giving than in receiving (Acts 20:35). #Lent” @Pontifex, 9 March 2023
  • “Fasting helps us to keep our spirit in shape. It makes us appreciate things for their true worth; it reminds us that life must not be made dependent upon the fleeting landscape of the present world. #Lent” @Pontifex, 10 March 2023
  • “In this Season of #Lent, let us learn to allow the Holy Spirit to form us so that our #prayer might become a living testimony of God’s tenderness for every person experiencing difficulty.” @Pontifex, 11 March 2023
  • “Let us remain united in faith and solidarity with the people who suffer because of war. Let us especially not forget the battered people of Ukraine.” @Pontifex, 12 March 2023
  • “Thirsty for love, Jesus quenches our thirst with love. As with the Samaritan woman, he comes to meet us in our daily life, he shares our thirst, he promises us living water that makes eternal life well up within us. #GospelOfTheDay (Jn 4:5–42)” @Pontifex, 12 March 2023
  • “Thank you for having accompanied me with your prayers. Please continue to do so.” @Pontifex, 13 March 2023
  • “Just as we recognize a tree by its fruit, so a life filled with good deeds is enlightening and carries the fragrance of Christ into the world.” @Pontifex, 14 March 2023
  • “The treasure we have received with our Christian vocation, we are obliged to give: it is the dynamic nature of the vocation, the dynamic nature of life.” @Pontifex, 15 March 2023
  • “I am close to the people of #Malawi, of Mozambique, and of South Africa, who have been struck in recent days by a powerful cyclone. Let us #PrayTogether for the deceased, the injured, the displaced. May the Lord sustain the families and communities most affected by this disaster.” @Pontifex, 15 March 2023

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 8 March 2023

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 30 January 2023 to 8 March 2023.

Angelus

General Audiences

Letters

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “Let us #PrayTogether for those who have suffered because of the wrongs done to them by members of the Church. May they find within the Church herself a concrete response to their pain and suffering. #PrayerIntention #ClickToPray Video” @Pontifex, 2 March 2023
  • “Our whole life of faith is a shared experience, for we follow Jesus together. Our Lenten journey is “synodal”, since we travel together along the same path, as disciples of the one Master. #Lent” @Pontifex, 4 March 2023
  • “The #GospelOfTheDay (Mt 17:1–9) teaches us how important it is to remain with Jesus. In fact, it is by staying with him that we learn to recognize on his face the luminous beauty of love he gives us, even when it bears the marks of the cross.” @Pontifex, 5 March 2023
  • “These past days, my thought has been often gone to the victims of the train accident that happened in Greece. Many were young students. I am praying for the deceased. I am near the wounded and their relatives. May Our Lady comfort them.” @Pontifex, 5 March 2023
  • “I am praying for the numerous victims of the shipwreck that took place off of Cutro, near Crotone. I renew my appeal that similar tragedies may not be repeated. Let the human traffickers be stopped so they do not continue to dispose of the lives of so many innocent people!” @Pontifex, 5 March 2023
  • “The path of poverty and self-denial (fasting), concern and acts of love for wounded humanity (almsgiving), and familiar dialogue with the Father (prayer) make it possible for us to incarnate a sincere faith, a living hope, and active charity. #Lent” @Pontifex, 6 March 2023
  • “In this Season of #Lent, let us exercise interior clarity, placing ourselves before the #WordOfGod in #prayer, so that an advantageous struggle against the evil that enslaves us, a struggle for freedom, may take place within us.” @Pontifex, 7 March 2023
  • “Let us #PrayTogether so that #women, every woman, may be respected, protected and esteemed. Violence against women and mothers is violence against God himself, who from a woman, from a mother, took on our human condition.” @Pontifex, 8 March 2023
  • “Every baptized person is sent to announce the Good News by loving and serving others. We cannot remain mere spectators. Apostolic zeal impels us to always seek new ways of proclaiming and witnessing to God’s love. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex, 8 March 2023

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 1 March 2023

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 9 February 2023 to 26 February 2023.

Angelus

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “#Lent is the “favourable time” to return to what is essential, to divest ourselves of all that weighs us down, to be reconciled with God, and to rekindle the fire of the Holy Spirit hidden beneath the ashes of our frail humanity.” @Pontifex, 23 February 2023
  • “One year ago the absurd war against Ukraine began. Let us remain close to the tormented Ukrainian people, who continue to suffer, and let us ask ourselves: has everything possible been done to stop the war? Peace built on rubble will never be a true victory.” @Pontifex, 24 February 2023
  • “During #Lent we are called to respond to God’s gift by accepting his word, which is “living and active” (Heb 4:12). Regular listening to the #WordOfGod makes us open and docile to his working and bears fruit in our lives.” @Pontifex, 25 February 2023
  • “I renew my appeal to make dialogue prevail over hatred and vengeance in the Holy Land, and I pray to God for Palestinians and Israelis, that they may find the path to fraternity and peace, with the help of the international community.” @Pontifex, 26 February 2023
  • “Let’s #PrayTogether for the people of Burkina Faso, so that the violence they have suffered does not make them lose faith in the path of democracy, justice and peace.” @Pontifex, 26 February 2023
  • “Jesus teaches us to repel the attacks of the devil who, as his name says, wants to sow division in us, between us and God, between us and others. How do we repel him? Not by negotiating with him, but by opposing him in faith with the divine word. #GospelOfToday (Mt 4:1–11)” @Pontifex, 26 February 2023
  • “Let’s #PrayTogether also for the victims of the shipwreck this morning, off the Calabrian coast, including many children, and for the other surviving migrants. I thank those who have brought relief and are providing shelter.” @Pontifex, 26 February 2023

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 22 February 2023

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 25 January 2023 to 22 February 2023.

Angelus

Apostolic Letter

General Audiences

Homilies

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “Let us not forget those suffering from the earthquake in #Turkey and #Syria. Let us continue to pray for the victims and their loved ones and make a concrete commitment to help the survivors. May the Lord give consolation to the people affected by this terrible tragedy.” @Pontifex, 15 February 2023
  • “The proclamation of the Gospel does not begin from us, but from the beauty of what we have freely received: meeting Jesus, knowing Him, and discovering that we are loved and saved. It is such a great gift that we cannot keep it to ourselves, we feel the need to spread it.” @Pontifex, 15 February 2023
  • “The #WordOfGod, which is addressed to all, calls us to conversion. When we are filled with the Word, it transforms our hearts and minds; it changes us and helps us direct our lives to the Lord.” @Pontifex, 16 February 2023
  • “#Lent is a time of grace to the extent that we listen to Jesus. He speaks to us in the Word of God and through our brothers and sisters, especially in the faces and stories of those who are in need. @VaticanIHD
    VUYft Message” @Pontifex, 17 February 2023
  • “God never leaves us on our own. God waits for us to ask Him to give us a hand. We need to learn how to distinguish God’s voice through silent #Prayer and intimate dialogue with Him, treasuring in our hearts that which does us good and gives us peace.” @Pontifex, 18 February 2023
  • “In the #GospelOfToday (Mt 5:38–48), the Lord invites us not to respond to evil with evil, but to dare to do good, even if we receive little or nothing in return. For it is this love that slowly transforms conflicts, overcomes enmities and heals the wounds of hatred.” @Pontifex, 19 February 2023
  • “I am close to the people of New Zealand, struck in recent days by a devastating cyclone. Let’s #PrayTogether” @Pontifex, 19 February 2023
  • “Let us not forget those who are suffering. I think of Syria and Turkey, of the very many victims of the earthquake; of the dear Ukrainian people and the many populations who suffer as a result of war of poverty, lack of freedom, or environmental devastation.” @Pontifex, 19 February 2023
  • “#SocialJustice demands that we fight against the causes of poverty: inequality and the lack of labour, land, and lodging; against those who deny social and labour rights; and against the culture that leads to taking away the dignity of others.” @Pontifex, 20 February 2023
  • “In God, no act of love, no matter how small, and no generous effort will ever be lost.” @Pontifex, 21 February 2023
  • “Dear brothers and sisters, may the Holy Spirit sustain us this #Lent2023 in our ascent with Jesus. May we experience His divine splendour and thus, confirmed in faith, persevere in our journey with Him, the glory of His people and light of the nations.
    VUYft Message” @Pontifex, 22 February 2023
  • “The Spirit sheds light on the path of the Church. He is not only the light of hearts, He is the light that orients the Church: He brings clarity, helps to distinguish, to discern. This is why it is necessary to invoke Him often; let us also do so today, at the beginning of #Lent” @Pontifex, 22 February 2023
  • “Let us not neglect the grace of this holy season, responding generously to the powerful promptings of #Lent. At the end of the journey, we will encounter with greater joy the Lord of life, who alone can raise us up from our ashes.” @Pontifex, 22 February 2023
  • “Almsgiving, charity, will be a sign of our compassion toward those in need, and help us to return to others. Prayer will give voice to our profound desire to encounter the Father, and will bring us back to him.” @Pontifex, 22 February 2023
  • “Fasting will be the spiritual training ground where we joyfully renounce the superfluous things that weigh us down, grow in interior freedom and return to the truth about ourselves.” @Pontifex, 22 February 2023

Papal Instagram

The Weekly Francis – 14 February 2023

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 28 January 2023 to 14 February 2023.

Angelus

General Audiences

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “May we work together against human trafficking, walking with those who are destroyed by the violence of sexual and labour exploitation, as well as with migrants and displaced persons. May we courageously reaffirm the value of human dignity! #PrayAgainstTrafficking” @Pontifex, 8 February 2023
  • “Let’s #PrayTogether for the peoples of Türkiye and Syria hard hit by the earthquakes that have caused thousands of deaths and injuries. I thank those who are working to provide relief, and I encourage everyone to offer their solidarity.” @Pontifex, 8 February 2023
  • “Today the Church celebrates the memorial of the Sudanese Saint Josephine #Bakhita, whose testimony of life fills us with Christian hope. Trusting in her intercession, we pray for a future of justice and peace for our brothers and sisters in #Africa.” @Pontifex, 8 February 2023
  • “Now is the time for compassion and for solidarity. We must put aside hatred, wars, and divisions that lead to self-destruction. Let us unite in our sorrow to help those who suffer in #Turkey and #Syria. May we build peace and fraternity in our world.” @Pontifex, 9 February 2023
  • “We are all fragile and vulnerable. We all need that compassion which knows how to pause, come close, heal us, and raise us up.” @Pontifex, 10 February 2023
  • “Today is the #WorldDayOfTheSick. Like the Good Samaritan, let us stop and care for people who are ill and suffering. May #OurLadyOfLourdes bless all the sick and those who care for them with love. @VaticanIHD” @Pontifex, 11 February 2023
  • “Through the experience of vulnerability and illness, we can learn to walk together according to the style of God, which is closeness, compassion, and tenderness. #WorldDayOfTheSick @VaticanIHD
    https://t.co/AvGBBjPkrh Message” @Pontifex, 11 February 2023
  • “Let’s #PrayTogether for all those who are suffering in #Nicaragua, for Bishop Álvarez of Matagalpa, whom I care about greatly, and for the people who have been deported. May the Lord open the hearts of political leaders and all citizens to the sincere search for peace.” @Pontifex, 12 February 2023
  • “Let us continue to stay close, with prayer and concrete support, to the earthquake victims in #Syria and #Turkey. And let us not forget tormented Ukraine: may the Lord open ways of peace and give those responsible the courage to follow them. Let’s #PrayTogether” @Pontifex, 12 February 2023
  • “God loves us first, freely, taking the first step towards us without us deserving it; and so we cannot celebrate his love without in our turn taking the first step towards reconciliation with those who have hurt us. #GospelOfToday” @Pontifex, 12 February 2023
  • “In the #GospelOfToday Jesus shows that religious rules are only the beginning. Formal observance is satisfied with the bare minimum, whereas Jesus invites us to aspire to the maximum possible. True love is never satisfied: love goes beyond, one cannot do without.” @Pontifex, 12 February 2023
  • “Where love becomes tangible, become closeness, becomes tenderness, becomes compassion, God is there.” @Pontifex, 13 February 2023
  • “Each one of us needs other people. Even weakness, if endured together with others, can become a strength that will make the world better.” @Pontifex, 14 February 2023

 

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