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Imagine, To Become A Priest There Are Eight Years Of Study And Preparation, And Then If After A While You Can't Do It, You Can Ask For A Dispensation, You Leave, And Everything Is Ok. On The Other Hand, To Make A Sacrament (marriage), Which Is For Your Whole Life, Three To Four Conferences...preparation For Marriage Is Very Important. It's Very, Very Important Because I Believe It Is Something That In The Church, In Common Pastoral Ministry, At Least In My Country, In South America, The Church Has Not Valued Much.

-Pope Francis

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Imagine, To Become A

Pope Francis

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Imagine, To Become A Priest There Are Eight Years Of Study And Preparation, And Then If After A While You Can't Do It, You Can Ask For A Dispensation, You Leave, And Everything Is Ok. On The Other Hand, To Make A Sacrament (marriage), Which Is For Your Whole Life, Three To Four Conferences...preparation For Marriage Is Very Important. It's Very, Very Important Because I Believe It Is Something That In The Church, In Common Pastoral Ministry, At Least In My Country, In South America, The Church Has Not Valued Much.

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Thank God [donald Trump] Said I Was A Politician Because Aristotle Defined The Human Person As 'animal Politicus.' At Least I Am A Human Person. As To Whether I Am A Pawn, Well, Maybe, I Don't Know. I'll Leave That Up To Your Judgment And That Of The People.

We Just Cannot Worry About Ourselves.

When Exhaling This Air, We Announced Jesus Christ Risen By The Same Spirit. No One Can Live Without Breathing. It Is The Same For The Christian: Without Praise And Mission There Is Not Christian Life. And With Praise, Worship. We Rarely Speak About Worship. What Do We Do When We Pray? We Ask Things Of God, We Give Thanks. But Worshipping And Adoring God Is Part Of Breathing - Praise And Worship.

We Are Called To Be 'ambassadors For Christ' (2 Cor 5:20). Ours Is A Ministry Of Reconciliation ... To Be An Ambassador For Christ Means Above All To Invite Everyone To A Renewed Personal Encounter With The Lord Jesus.

Marriage Now Tends To Be Viewed As A Form Of Mere Emotional Satisfaction That Can Be Constructed In Any Way Or Modified At Will. But The Indispensible Contribution Of Marriage To Society Transcends The Feelings And Momentary Needs Of The Couple.

Finding God In All Things Is Not An 'empirical Eureka.' When We Desire To Encounter God, We Would Like To Verify Him Immediately By An Empirical Method. But You Cannot Meet God This Way...a Contemplative Attitude Is Necessary: It Is The Feeling That You Are Moving Along The Good Path Of Understanding And Affection Toward Things And Situations. Profound Peace, Spiritual Consolation, Love Of God, And Love Of All Things In God-this Is The Sign That You Are On This Right Path.

Don't Be Afraid To Go To The Sacrament Of Confession, Where You Will Meet Jesus Who Forgives You.

I Ask You To Ensure That Humanity Is Served By Wealth, And Not Ruled By It.

The Crucifix Does Not Signify Defeat Or Failure. It Reveals To Us The Love That Overcomes Evil And Sin.

I Would Like To Ask You A Question: How Many Of You Pray To The Holy Spirit Every Day? Probably Few, But We Must Satisfy This Desire Of Jesus And Pray Every Day To The Holy Spirit, So That He Opens Our Heart Towards Jesus.

Let The Church Always Be A Place Of Mercy And Hope, Where Everyone Is Welcomed, Loved And Forgiven.

True Peace Is Not A Balance Of Opposing Forces, And It Is Not ‘a Lovely Façade’ Simply Covering Conflicts And Divisions. Rather, Peace Calls For Daily Commitment -- It's Homemade -- Starting From God's Gift, From The Grace Which He Has Given Us In Jesus Christ.

Let Us Pray For The Many Christians In The World Who Still Suffer Persecution And Violence. May God Grant Them The Courage Of Fidelity.

Human Trafficking Is A Crime Against Humanity. We Must Unite Our Efforts To Free The Victims And Stop This Increasingly Aggressive Crime Which Threatens Not Only Individuals But The Basic Values Of Society.

Human Trafficking

We Cannot Insist Only On Issues Related To Abortion, Gay Marriage And The Use Of Contraceptive Methods. The Teaching Of The Church, For That Matter, Is Clear And I Am A Son Of The Church, But It Is Not Necessary To Talk About These Issues All The Time.

Jesus Fought Satan In 'hand To Hand Combat' . . . 'you Need To Protect This Victory.'

Poverty Is Part Of The Natural Condition And That Is Bad Enough. But My Task Is To Prevent The Aggravation Of This Condition.

May We Always Care For Our Children, Not Counting The Cost, So That They May Never Believe Themselves To Be Mistakes, But Always Know Their Infinite Worth.

Reforming The Social Structures Which Perpetuate Poverty And The Exclusion Of The Poor First Requires A Conversion Of Mind And Heart.

Injustice And Oppression

I Do Not Believe, That It Is True Or Right That Islam Is Terrorist.

By Saying "blessed Are Those Who Mourn", Jesus Does Not Intend To Declare An Unfortunate And Burdensome Condition In Life To Be Happy. Suffering Is Not A Value In Itself, But A Reality That Jesus Teaches Us To Live With The Correct Attitude.

Created Half To Rise, And Half To Fall; Great Lord Of All Things, Yet A Prey To All; Sole Judge Of Truth, In Endless Error Hurled; The Glory, Jest, And Riddle Of The World!

Those Who Today Always Look For Disciplinarian Solutions, Those Who Long For An Exaggerated Doctrinal 'security,' Those Who Stubbornly Try To Recover A Past That No Longer Exists - They Have A Static And Inward-directed View Of Things. In This Way, Faith Becomes An Ideology Among Other Ideologies.

A Little Bit Of Mercy Makes The World Less Cold And More Just.

This Is Precisely The Reason For The Dissatisfaction Of Some, Who End Up Sad - Sad Priests - In Some Sense Becoming Collectors Of Antiques Or Novelties, Instead Of Being Shepherds Living With 'the Odor Of The Sheep.' This I Ask You: Be Shepherds, With The 'odor Of The Sheep,' Make It Real, As Shepherds Among Your Flock, Fishers Of Men.

Not So Much Anymore But Some Years Ago In My Homeland There Was A Habit, Something Called 'casamiento De Apuro,' A Marriage In Haste Because The Baby Is Coming And To Cover Socially The Honor Of The Family. There, They Weren't Free And It Happened Many Times This Marriage Is Null. As A Bishop I Forbade My Priests To Do This.

I Ask All People Of Goodwill To Help Build A Culture Of Encounter, Solidarity And Peace

When Fundamentalism Comes To Kill, It Can Kill With The Language - The Apostle James Says This, Not Me - And Even With A Knife, No?

Do I Guard Myself, My Heart, My Feelings, My Thoughts? Do I Guard The Treasure Of Grace? Do I Guard The Presence Of The Holy Spirit In Me? Or Do I Let Go, Feeling Secure, Believing That All Is Going Well?

Each Of Us Has A Vision Of Good And Of Evil. We Have To Encourage People To Move Towards What They Think Is Good... Everyone Has His Own Idea Of Good And Evil And Must Choose To Follow The Good And Fight Evil As He Conceives Them. That Would Be Enough To Make The World A Better Place.

Peace Is Handcrafted. It Is Made Every Day. Also Friendship Among People, Mutual Knowledge, Esteem, Is Handcrafted. It's Made Every Day. Respect The Other, Say That Which One Thinks, But With Respect, But Walk Together.

Today Saint Paul Has Told Us That In Christ We Have Become God’s Adopted Children, Brothers And Sisters In Christ. This Is Who We Are. This Is Our Identity.

Jesus On The Cross Feels The Whole Weight Of The Evil, And With The Force Of God's Love He Conquers It, He Defeats It With His Resurrection.

Joy Adapts And Changes, But It Always Endures, Even As A Flicker Of Light Born Of Our Personal Certainty That, When Everything Is Said And Done, We Are Infinitely Loved.

Francis Of Assisi Tells Us We Should Work To Build Peace. But There Is No True Peace Without Truth! There Cannot Be True Peace If Everyone Is His Own Criterion, If Everyone Can Always Claim Exclusively His Own Rights, Without At The Same Time Caring For The Good Of Others, Of Everyone, On The Basis Of The Nature That Unites Every Human Being On This Earth.

It Might Be Better - More Comfortable - To Have A Dog And Two Cats. All The Love Is Focused On The Cats And The Dog. Am I Right Or Wrong Here? Have You Seen It? At The End Of This Marriage, Comes Old Age And Loneliness.

The Corrupt Should Be Tied To A Rock & Thrown Into The Sea

Sometimes Negative News Does Come Out, But It Is Often Exaggerated And Manipulated To Spread Scandal. Journalists Sometimes Risk Becoming Ill From Coprophilia And Thus Fomenting Coprophagia: Which Is A Sin That Taints All Men And Women, That Is, The Tendency To Focus On The Negative Rather Than The Positive Aspects.

Who Am I To Judge A Gay Person?

Too Often We Participate In The Globalization Of Indifference. May We Strive Instead To Live Global Solidarity.

If, In Your Relationship With The Lord, You Do Not Feel That He Loves You Tenderly, You Are Missing Something, You Still Have Not Understood What Grace Is, You Have Not Yet Received Grace Which Is This Closeness.

Open Your Hearts To The Lord. The Lord Is Waiting For You And The Church Will Welcome You If Your Willingness To Serve Good Is As Clear And Public As Your Choice To Serve Evil Was.

Yet Only When We Come To Understand, In The Light Of The Cross, The Evil We Are Capable Of, And Have Even Been A Part Of, Can We Experience True Remorse And True Repentance.

The Pope Doesn't Get Mixed Up In Italian Politics.

Above All I Ask Leaders And Legislators And The Entire International Community Above All To Confront The Reality Of Those Who Have Been Displaced By Force, With Effective Projects And New Approaches In Order To Protect Their Dignity, To Improve The Quality Of Their Life And To Face The Challenges That Are Emerging From Modern Forms Of Persecution, Oppression And Slavery.

Since Many Of You Do Not Belong To The Catholic Church And Others Are Non-believers, From The Bottom Of My Heart I Give This Silent Blessing To Each And Every One Of You, Respecting The Conscience Of Each One Of You But Knowing That Each One Of You Is A Child Of God.

Yes, Hypothetically, Western Catholicism Could Revise The Theme Of Celibacy. ... But For The Moment, I Am In Favor Of Maintaining Celibacy, With The Pros And The Cons It Has, Because We Have Ten Centuries Of More Good Experiences Than Bad Ones.

If We See Someone Who Needs Help, Do We Stop? There Is So Much Suffering And Poverty, And A Great Need For Good Samaritans.

Babies Cry, Make Noise, Go Here And There. But It Annoys Me When A Baby Cries In Church And There Are Those Who Say He Needs To Go Out. The Cry Of A Baby Is God's Voice: Never Drive Them Away From The Church!

An Example I Often Use To Illustrate The Reality Of Vanity, Is This: Look At The Peacock; It's Beautiful If You Look At It From The Front. But If You Look At It From Behind, You Discover The Truth... Whoever Gives In To Such Self-absorbed Vanity Has Huge Misery Hiding Inside Them.

It [abortion] Is A Crime, An Absolute Evil.

Worshipping Is Stripping Ourselves Of Our Idols, Even The Most Hidden Ones, And Choosing The Lord As The Centre, As The Highway Of Our Lives.

Politics Is The Most Important Of The Civil Activities And Has Its Own Field Of Action, Which Is Not That Of Religion.

There Are Saints In The Roman Curia, Among The Cardinals, Priests, Religious, Sisters And Laity. They Work Hard, And Also Do Things That Are Often Hidden. I Know Some Who Concern Themselves With Feeding The Poor Or Who Give Up Their Free Time To Work In A Parish. As Always, The Ones Who Aren't Saints Make The Most Noise ... A Single Tree Falling Makes A Sound, But A Whole Forest Growing Doesn't.

May The Deepest Spiritual Values Of The Filipino People Continue To Find Expression In Your Efforts To Provide Your Fellow Citizens With An Integral Human Development. In This Way, Each Person Will Be Able To Fulfill His Or Her Potential, And Thus Contribute Wisely And Well To The Future Of This Country.

It Is Not Enough To Say We Are Christians. We Must Live The Faith, Not Only With Our Words, But With Our Actions.

Only Those Who Serve With Love Are Able To Protect!

If In So Many Parts Of The World There Are Children Who Have Nothing To Eat, That's Not News, It Seems Normal. It Cannot Be This Way!

The Church Is Or Should Go Back To Being A Community Of God's People, And Priests, Pastors And Bishops, Who Have The Care Of Souls, Are At The Service Of The People Of God.

Whenever People Listen To One Another Humbly And Openly, Their Shared Values And Aspirations Become All The More Apparent. Diversity Is No Longer Seen As A Threat, But As A Source Of Enrichment.

It Occurs To Me: Why Is It Mainly Women, Who To Pass On The Faith? Simply Because The One Who Brought Us Jesus Is A Woman. It Is The Path Chosen By Jesus. He Wanted To Have A Mother: The Gift Of Faith Comes To Us Through Women, As Jesus Came To Us Through Mary.

In A World Often Marked By Selfishness, A Large Family Is A School Of Solidarity And Sharing; And This Attitude Is To The Benefit Of Society As A Whole.... I Always Thank The Lord In Seeing Mothers And Fathers Of Large Families, Together With Their Children, Committed To The Life Of The Church And Of Society.

I Want To Remind Priests That The Confessional Must Not Be A Torture Chamber But Rather An Encounter With The Lord’s Mercy Which Spurs Us On To Do Our Best. A Small Step, In The Midst Of Great Human Limitations, Can Be More Pleasing To God Than A Life Which Appears Outwardly In Order But Moves Through The Day Without Confronting Great Difficulties. Everyone Needs To Be Touched By The Comfort And Attraction Of God’s Saving Love, Which Is Mysteriously At Work In Each Person, Above And Beyond Their Faults And Failings.

The Charismatics Confused The Holy Liturgy With A School Of Samba, But Than I Was Converted When I Got To Know Them Better And Saw The Good They Do.

Let Us Not Forget This Word: God Never Ever Tires Of Forgiving Us!

Mary’s Life Shows That God Accomplishes Great Deeds Through Those Who Are The Most Humble.

Holy Week Challenges Us To Step Outside Ourselves So As To Attend To The Needs Of Others: Those Who Long For A Sympathetic Ear, Those In Need Of Comfort Or Help. We Should Not Simply Remain In Our Own Secure World, That Of The Ninety-nine Sheep Who Never Strayed From The Fold, But We Should Go Out, With Christ, In Search Of The One Lost Sheep, However Far It May Have Wandered.

How Beautiful It Is To See That Young People Are 'street Preachers,' Joyfully Bringing Jesus To Every Street, Every Town Square And Every Corner Of The Earth!

Only By Becoming Poor Ourselves, By Stripping Away Our Complacency, Will We Be Able To Identify With The Least Of Our Brothers And Sisters.

I Would Like Especially To Mention You, The Women, Wives And Mothers Of Paraguay, Who At Great Cost And Sacrifice Were Able To Lift Up A Country Defeated, Devastated And Laid Low By An Abominable War. God Bless Your Perseverance, God Bless And Encourage Your Faith, God Bless The Women Of Paraguay, The Most Glorious Women Of America.

In This System, Which Tends To Devour Everything Which Stands In The Way Of Increased Profits, Whatever Is Fragile, Like The Environment, Is Defenseless Before The Interests Of A Deified Market, Which Become The Only Rule.

We See That There Are Two Worms That Eat The Fabric Of The Church, Weakening Her. Rivalry And Vainglory Go Against This Harmony, This Agreement.

The Teachings Of The Gospel Have Direct Consequences For Our Way Of Thinking, Feeling And Living.

Dear Young People, Do Not Be Mediocre; The Christian Life Challenges Us With Great Ideals!

We Too Can Be Saints In Our Family, In Our Neighborhood, Wherever We Live And Work. Be A Person Who Listens To What People Need, Communicating Not Only To Grieve Or Tell Others About Your Own Problems. Listen In Order To Intercede And Help Out.

The Cry Of A Baby Is God's Voice: Never Drive Them Away From The Church!

The Golden Rule Reminds Us Of Our Responsibility To Protect And Defend Human Life At Every Stage Of Its Development. This Conviction Has Led Me, From The Beginning Of My Ministry, To Advocate At Different Levels For The Global Abolition Of The Death Penalty.

Let Us Draw From The Crib The Joy And Deep Peace That Jesus Comes To Bring To The World.

Avoiding Pregnancy Is Not An Absolute Evil.

The Family Is The Most Important Wealth Of A Nation. May We Endeavor To Defend And Strengthen The Foundation Of Society.

There Is No Sin That God Cannot Pardon. All We Need To Do Is Ask For Forgiveness

Asking For Forgiveness

The Church Is The Home That Accepts Everyone And Refuses No One ... The Greater The Sin, The Greater The Love That The Church Should Show Towards Those Who Convert.

We Must Avoid The Spiritual Disease Of The Church That Can Become Self-referential: When This Happens, The Church Itself Becomes Sick. It’s True That Accidents Can Happen When You Go Out Into The Street, As Can Happen To Any Man Or Woman. But If The Church Remains Closed Onto Itself, Self-referential, It Grows Old. Between A Church That Goes Into The Street And Gets Into An Accident And A Church That Is Sick With Self-referentiality, I Have No Doubts In Preferring The First.

Each Encounter With Jesus Changes Our Life.

The Church's Challenge Is Staying Close To The People, Close To The People Of The United States, Not Being A Detached Church From The People But Close To Them, Close, Close, And This Is Something That The Church In The United States Has Understood And Understood Well.

Cars Are Necessary, But Take A More Humble One. Think Of How Many Children Die Of Hunger And Dedicate The Savings To Them.

Move Forward And Let Others Do The Same. Simple. This Is A Guiding Principle Everyone Should Have.

Let Us Pray For All Good And Faithful Priests Who Dedicate Themselves To Their People With Generosity And Unknown Sacrifices.

But Always Think This: Do Not Be Afraid Of Failure. Do Not Be Afraid Of Falling. In The Art Of Walking, What Is Important Is Not Avoiding The Fall But Not Remaining Fallen.

While The Earnings Of A Minority Are Growing Exponentially, So Too Is The Gap Separating The Majority From The Prosperity Enjoyed By Those Happy Few. This Imbalance Is The Result Of Ideologies Which Defend The Absolute Autonomy Of The Marketplace And Financial Speculation. Consequently, They Reject The Right Of States, Charged With Vigilance For The Common Good, To Exercise Any Form Of Control.

There Is Nothing The Church Can Do Except Try To Educate People To Become Good Consumers.

Do Not Lose Hope; St. Joseph Also Experienced Moments Of Difficulty, But He Never Lost Faith And Was Able To Overcome Them, In The Certainty That God Never Abandons Us.

This Visit Is Meant To Express My Closeness To Our Brothers And Sisters Who Endured The Suffering, Loss And Devastation Caused By Typhoon Yolanda. Together With Many People Throughout The World, I Have Admired The Heroic Strength, Faith And Resilience Demonstrated By So Many Filipinos In The Face Of This Natural Disaster, And So Many Others.

The Life Of A Family Is Filled With Beautiful Moments: Rest, Meals Together, Walks In The Park Or The Countryside, Visits To Grandparents Or To A Sick Person... But If Love Is Missing, Joy Is Missing, Nothing Is Fun. Jesus Gives Always Gives Us That Love: He Is Its Endless Source. In The Sacrament He Gives Us His Word And He Gives Us The Bread Of Life, So That Our Joy May Be Complete.

We Can Study The Whole History Of Salvation, We Can Study The Whole Of Theology, But Without The Spirit We Cannot Understand. It Is The Spirit That Makes Us Realize The Truth Or - In The Words Of Our Lord - It Is The Spirit That Makes Us Know The Voice Of Jesus.

I'm The Type Of Human Who Is Interested Most In The Truth. God Gave Me A Healthy Love For The Truth.

If I Speak Of Islamic Violence, I Must Speak Of Catholic Violence.

When Christians Forget About Hope And Tenderness They Become A Cold Church, That Loses Its Sense Of Direction And Is Held Back By Ideologies And Worldly Attitudes, Whereas God’s Simplicity Tells You: Go Forward, I Am A Father Who Caresses You.

Even Today, After The Second Failure Of Another World War, Perhaps One Can Speak Of A Third War, One Fought Piecemeal, With Crimes, Massacres, Destruction.

Mere Administration Can No Longer Be Enough. Throughout The World, Let Us Be Permanently In A State Of Mission.

When Everything Falls Apart, Only One Thing Sustains Our Hope: God Loves Us, He Loves Everyone!

God Calls You To Make Definitive Choices, And He Has A Plan For Each Of You: To Discover That Plan And To Respond To Your Vocation Is To Move Toward Personal Fulfillment.

Politics Is A Noble Activity. We Should Revalue It, Practise It With Vocation And A Dedication That Requires Testimony, Martyrdom, That Is To Die For The Common Good.

Let Love Simply Bloom... And It Is Unstoppable.

Gossip Can Also Kill, Because It Kills The Reputation Of The Person! It Is So Terrible To Gossip! At First It May Seem Like A Nice Thing, Even Amusing, Like Enjoying A Candy. But In The End, It Fills The Heart With Bitterness, And Even Poisons Us.

Are Our Lives Truly Filled With The Presence Of God? How Many Things Take The Place Of God In My Life Each Day?

Presence Of God

Families Will Always Have Their Trials; Be Living Examples Of Love, Forgiveness, And Care

Let Us Ask The Holy Spirit For The Grace To Live Daily According To The Mind Of Jesus And His Gospel.

In The Face Of Life’s Difficulties, Let Us Ask The Lord For The Strength To Remain Joyful Witnesses To Our Faith.

It Is True That Going Out On To The Street Implies The Risk Of Accidents Happening, As They Would To Any Ordinary Man Or Woman. But If The Church Stays Wrapped Up In Itself, It Will Age. And If I Had To Choose Between A Wounded Church That Goes Out On To The Streets And A Sick, Withdrawn Church, I Would Definitely Choose The First One.

The People That Does Not Care For Its Children Or Grandparents Is A People That Has Not Future. Because It Doesn't Have The Strength Or The Memory To Go Forward.

When We Read About Creation In Genesis, We Run The Risk Of Imagining God Was A Magician, With A Magic Wand Able To Do Everything. But That Is Not So. God Is Not A Demiurge [demigod] Or A Magician, But The Creator Who Gives Being To All Entities. Evolution In Nature Is Not Opposed To The Notion Of Creation, Because Evolution Presupposes The Creation Of Beings That Evolve.

Theory Of Evolution

Let Us Never Forget This, He Is Pure Mercy, Let Us Go To Jesus!

The Eucharist, Although It Is The Fullness Of Sacramental Life, Is Not A Prize For The Perfect But A Powerful Medicine And Nourishment For The Weak.

Do Good: We Will Meet One Another There.

You Tell Me: Can You Live Crushed Under The Weight Of The Present? Without A Memory Of The Past And Without The Desire To Look Ahead To The Future By Building Something, A Future, A Family? Can You Go On Like This? This, To Me, Is The Most Urgent Problem That The Church Is Facing.

Everyone Say To Himself: 'when Was The Last Time I Went To Confession?' And If It Has Been A Long Time, Don't Lose Another Day! Go, The Priest Will Be Good. And Jesus, (will Be) There, And Jesus Is Better Than The Priests - Jesus Receives You. He Will Receive You With So Much Love! Be Courageous, And Go To Confession.

The Holy Spirit Transforms And Renews Us, Creates Harmony And Unity, And Gives Us Courage And Joy For Mission.

Let No One Consider Themselves To Be The 'armour' Of God While Planning And Carrying Out Acts Of Violence And Oppression!

Certain Realities Of Life We Only See Through Eyes Cleansed By Our Tears.

Only We Big Sinners Have This Grace Of Knowing What Salvation Really Means.

No Act Of Virtue Can Be Great If It Is Not Followed By Advantage For Others. So, No Matter How Much Time You Spend Fasting, No Matter How Much You Sleep On A Hard Floor And Eat Ashes And Sigh Continually, If You Do No Good To Others, You Do Nothing Great.

If A Company Can Declare Bankruptcy, Why Can't A Country Do So?

May We Always Say Thank You To God, Especially For His Patience And Mercy.

Saying Thank You

The Disciple Of Jesus Gives Up All He Has, All His Goods, Because He Has Found In Him The Greatest Good From Which Every Other Good Receives Its Full Value And Meaning: Family Bonds, Other Relationships, Work, Cultural And Economic Goods And So On... The Christian Detaches Himself From Everything And Rediscovers All Of It In The Logic Of The Gospel, The Logic Of Love And Service.

Indifference To Our Neighbour And To God Also Represents A Real Temptation For Us Christians. Each Year During Lent We Need To Hear Once More The Voice Of The Prophets Who Cry Out And Trouble Our Conscience.

A Church Without Women Is Like The College Of The Apostles Without Mary... Our Lady Is More Important Than The Apostles! She Is More Important! The Church Is Feminine. She Is Church, She Is Bride, She Is Mother.

I Would Like That All Of Us, After These Days Of Grace, Might Have The Courage - The Courage - To Walk In The Presence Of The Lord, With The Cross Of The Lord: To Build The Church On The Blood Of The Lord, Which Is Shed On The Cross, And To Profess The One Glory, Christ Crucified. In This Way, The Church Will Go Forward.

In God’s Great Plan, Every Detail Is Important, Even Yours, Even My Humble Little Witness, Even The Hidden Witness Of Those Who Live Their Faith With Simplicity In Everyday Family Relationships, Work Relationships, Friendships. There Are The Saints Of Every Day, The “hidden” Saints, A Sort Of “middle Class Of Holiness” To Which We Can All Belong.

Work Relationships

How Precious Is The Family As The Privileged Place For Transmitting The Faith! Speaking About Family Life, I Would Like To Say One Thing: Today, As Brazil And The Church Around The World Celebrate This Feast Of Saints Joachim And Anne, Grandparents Day Is Also Being Celebrated. How Important Grandparents Are For Family Life, For Passing On The Human And Religious Heritage Which Is So Essential For Each And Every Society! How Important It Is To Have Intergenerational Exchanges And Dialogues, Especially Within The Context Of The Family.

As Your Captain, I'm Going To Push You To Not Fall Back On Defense, But To Play Offense, And To Play Our Match -- The Gospel, Together.

First, We Can Pray In Communion With The Church On Earth And In Heaven. Let Us Not Underestimate The Power Of So Many Voices United In Prayer!

Let Us Never Forget That Authentic Power Is Service, Which Has Its Radiant Culmination On The Cross.

To Be A Mother Is A Great Treasure. Mothers, In Their Unconditional And Sacrificial Love For Their Children, Are The Antidote To Individualism; They Are The Greatest Enemies Against War.

We Must Recover The Whole Sense Of Gift, Of Gratuitousness, Of Solidarity. Rampant Capitalism Has Taught The Logic Of Profit At All Costs, Of Giving To Get, Of Exploitation Without Looking At The Person... And We See The Results In The Crisis We Are Experiencing! This Home Is A Place That Teaches Charity, A "school" Of Charity, Which Instructs Me To Go Encounter Every Person, Not For Profit, But For Love.

Communications Requires Study, Preparation, And A Special Attention To Truth, Goodness And Beauty.

Let Us Not Have A Computer Psychology That Makes Us Think We Know It All. All Answers On Computers - But No Surprises. The Challenge Of Love. God Reveals Himself Through Surprises.

When The Lord Wants To Give Us A Mission, Wants To Give Us A Task, He Prepares Us. He Prepares Us To Do It Well...what Is Important Is The Whole Journey By Which We Arrive At The Mission The Lord Entrusts To Us...when The Lord Gives A Mission, He Always Has Us Enter Into A Process, A Process Of Purification, A Process Of Discernment, A Process Of Obedience, A Process Of Prayer.

In A Very Real Way, The Poor Are Our Teachers. They Show Us That People’s Value Is Not Measured By Their Possessions Or How Much Money They Have In The Bank. A Poor Person, A Person Lacking Material Possessions, Always Maintains His Or Her Dignity. The Poor Can Teach Us Much About Humility And Trust In God.

Imagine, To Become A Priest There Are Eight Years Of Study And Preparation, And Then If After A While You Can't Do It, You Can Ask For A Dispensation, You Leave, And Everything Is Ok.

The One Who Listens Attentively To The Word Of God And Truly Prays, Always Asks The Lord: What Is Your Will For Me?

Another Very Interesting Chapter Is The Education Of Children: The Victims Of Problems Of The Family Are The Children. The Children. Even Of Problems That Neither Husband Nor Wife Have A Say In. For Example, The Needs Of A Job. When The Dad Doesn't Have Free Time To Speak To His Children, When The Mother Doesn't Have Time To Speak With Her Children.

I Don't Know If Human Activity Is The Only Cause, But Mostly, In Great Part, It Is Man Who Has Slapped Nature In The Face, We Have In A Sense Taken Over Nature.

The Tyranny Of Relativism Is The Spiritual Poverty Of Our Time

The Search For God Means Having The Courage To Set Out On A Risky Path, It Means Following Our Restless Hearts.

How Many Christians Live For Appearances? Their Life Seems Like A Soap Bubble. The Soap Bubble Is Beautiful, With All Its Colours! But It Lasts Only A Second, And Then What?

How Wonderful It Is To Be Surprised By God’s Call, To Embrace His Word, And To Walk In The Footsteps Of Jesus... Your Life Will Become Richer And More Joyful Each Day!

The Pace Of Consumption, Waste And Environmental Change Has So Stretched The Planet's Capacity That Our Contemporary Lifestyle, Unsustainable As It Is, Can Only Precipitate Catastrophes, Such As Those Which Even Now Periodically Occur In Different Areas Of The World ... We Need To Reflect On Our Accountability Before Those Who Will Have To Endure The Dire Consequences.

Laboratories Are Useful, But Reflection For Us Must Always Start From Experience.

Fraternal Love Is The Nearest Testimony That We Can Give That Jesus Is Alive Among Us.

We Need To Be Creative With Young People. If They Have No Opportunities, They Will Get Into Drugs And Be Vulnerable To Suicide.

Sin, Also For Those Who Don't Have Faith, Exists When One Goes Against One's Conscience. To Listen To And Obey It Means, In Fact, To Decide In Face Of What Is Perceived As Good Or Evil. And On This Decision Pivots The Goodness Or Malice Of Our Action.

Dear Young People, Listen Within: Christ Is Knocking At The Door Of Your Heart.

Seeking Happiness In Material Things Is A Sure Way Of Being Unhappy.

Seeking Happiness

We Cannot Keep Ourselves Shut Up In Parishes, In Our Communities, When So Many People Are Waiting For The Gospel!

Certain Realities In Life Are Only Seen Through Eyes That Are Cleansed Through Our Tears. Let Us Learn How To Weep

The Church Is Likewise Conscious Of The Responsibility Which All Of Us Have For Our World, For The Whole Of Creation, Which We Must Love And Protect. There Is Much That We Can Do To Benefit The Poor, The Needy And Those Who Suffer, And To Favour Justice, Promote Reconciliation And Build Peace. But Before All Else We Need To Keep Alive In Our World The Thirst For The Absolute, And To Counter The Dominance Of A One-dimensional Vision Of The Human Person, A Vision Which Reduces Human Beings To What They Produce And To What They Consume: This Is One Of The Most Insidious Temptations Of Our Time.

Press On! Don't Let Yourselves Be Robbed Of Hope. Understood?

The Pope Is A Man. The Pope Needs The Input Of Women, Too. And The Pope, Too, Has A Heart That Can Have A Healthy, Holy Friendship With A Woman.

I Made Reference Continuously To The Killings, The Death, The Life Taken By All Of These Narcotrafficking Gangs And Human Smugglers. I Spoke Of This Problem As One Of The Wounds That Mexico Suffers. It's A Great Pain That I'm Taking, Because This Nation [mexicans] Doesn't Deserve A Drama Like This One.

Who Are We, As We Stand Before The Child Jesus? Who Are We, Standing As We Stand Before Today's Children? Are We Like Mary And Joseph, Who Welcomed Jesus And Cared For Him With The Love Of A Father And A Mother? Or Are We Like Herod, Who Wanted To Eliminate Him? Are We Like The Shepherds, Who Went In Haste To Kneel Before Him In Worship And Offer Him Their Humble Gifts? Or Are We Indifferent?

Practicing Charity Is The Best Way To Evangelize.

In The Silence Of The Cross, The Uproar Of Weapons Ceases And The Language Of Reconciliation, Forgiveness, Dialogue And Peace Is Spoken.

Peacemaking Calls For Courage, Much More So Than Warfare.

When We Give Help To The Poor, We Are Not Doing The Work Of Aid Agencies 'in A Christian Way'. Those Are Good, It Is A Decent Thing To Do - Aid Work Is Good And Quite Human - But It Is Not Christian Poverty, Which St. Paul Desires Of Us And Preaches To Us. Christian Poverty Is That I Give Of My Own, And Not Of That Which Is Left Over - I Give Even That, Which I Need For Myself, To The Poor Person, Because I Know That He Enriches Me. Why Does The Poor Person Enrich Me? Because Jesus Himself Told Us That He Is In The Poor Person.

If Someone Is Gay And Is Searching For The Lord And Has Good Will, Then Who Am I To Judge Him?... No One Should Marginalize These People For This, They Must Be Integrated Into Society.

We Cannot Be Part-time Christians! We Should Seek To Live Our Faith At Every Moment Of Every Day.

Go, Do Not Be Afraid And Serve

Let Us Contemplate The Humility Of The Son Of God Born Into Poverty. Let Us Imitate Him By Sharing With Those Who Are Weak.

Jesus Spoke In Such A Way That The People Loved The Things Of God. That’s Why They Followed Him.

Consumerism Has Led Us To Become Used To An Excess And Daily Waste Of Food, To Which, At Times, We Are No Longer Able To Give A Just Value, Which Goes Well Beyond Mere Economic Parameters. We Should All Remember, However, That Throwing Food Away Is Like Stealing From The Tables Of The The Poor, The Hungry!

When I Was A Seminarian, I Was Dazzled By A Girl I Met At An Uncle’s Wedding. I Was Surprised By Her Beauty, Her Intellectual Brilliance… And, Well, I Was Bowled Over For Quite A While.

Reject All Forms Of Corruption That Divert Resources From The Poor

In These Times Of Suffering Prayer Is Of Even More Help.

The Political Struggle Against Marriage Equality Is War

Peace Is Always Possible But We Have To Seek It. Let Us Pray For Peace.

Love Is More Powerful, Love Gives Life, Love Makes Hope Blossom In The Wilderness.

We Ask For Peace And Freedom For The Many Men And Women Subject To Old And New Forms Of Enslavement On The Part Of Criminal Individuals And Groups.

A Second Key Area Where You Are Called To Make A Contribution Is In Showing Concern For The Environment. This Is Not Only Because This Country, More Than Many Others, Is Likely To Be Seriously Affected By Climate Change. You Are Called To Care For Creation Not Only As Responsible Citizens, But Also As Followers Of Christ!

While New Rights Are Attributed To Or Indeed Almost Presumed By The Individual, Life Is Not Always Protected As The Primary Value And The Primordial Right Of Every Human Being. The Ultimate Aim Of Medicine Remains The Defence And Promotion Of Life.

God Always Has Patience.

Having Patience

So Let Us Ask Ourselves This Evening, In Adoring Christ Who Is Really Present In The Eucharist: Do I Let Myself Be Transformed By Him? Do I Let The Lord Who Gives Himself To Me, Guide Me To Going Out Ever More From My Little Enclosure, In Order To Give, To Share, To Love Him And Others? Brothers And Sisters, Following, Communion, Sharing. Let Us Pray That Participation In The Eucharist May Always Be An Incentive: To Follow The Lord Every Day, To Be Instruments Of Communion And To Share What We Are With Him And With Our Neighbour. Our Life Will Then Be Truly Fruitful.

The Christian Truth Is Attractive And Persuasive Because It Responds To Humanity's Deepest Needs.

Jesus Is More Than A Friend. He Is A Teacher Of Truth And Life Who Shows Us The Way That Leads To Happiness.

Are We Capable Of Bringing The Word Of God Into The Environment In Which We Live? Do We Know How To Speak Of Christ, Of What He Represents For Us, In Our Families, Among The People Who Form Part Of Our Daily Lives? Faith Is Born From Listening, And Is Strengthened By Proclamation.

A Senate Vote On Gay Marriage Is A Destructive Pretension Against The Plan Of God

Children Are To Be Welcomed, Cherished, Protected.

May No One Use Religion As A Pretext For Actions Against Human Dignity And Against The Fundamental Rights Of Every Man And Woman.

All Revealed Truths Derive From The Same Divine Source And Are To Be Believed With The Same Faith, Yet Some Of Them Are More Important For Giving Direct Expression To The Heart Of The Gospel. In This Basic Core, What Shines Forth Is The Beauty Of The Saving Love Of God Made Manifest In Jesus Christ Who Died And Rose From The Dead.

Let Us Thank All Those Who Teach In Catholic Schools. Educating Is An Act Of Love; It Is Like Giving Life.

Love Makes Us Similar, It Creates Equality, It Breaks Down Walls And Eliminates Distances. God Did This With Us.

All Of Us Are Called To Fight #‎ Humantraffickin G And #‎ Slavery .

This May Sound Like Heresy, But It Is The Greatest Truth! It Is More Difficult To Let God Love Us, Than To Love Him! The Best Way To Love Him In Return Is To Open Our Hearts And Let Him Love Us. Let Him Draw Close To Us And Feel Him Close To Us. This Is Really Very Difficult: Letting Ourselves Be Loved By Him. And That Is Perhaps What We Need To Ask Today In The Mass: 'lord, I Want To Love You, But Teach Me The Difficult Science, The Difficult Habit Of Letting Myself Be Loved By You, To Feel You Close And Feel Your Tenderness ! May The Lord Give Us This Grace.

If Jesus Is To Become The Center Of Our Life, We Need To Spend Time In His Presence, Before The Tabernacle.

The Cross Isn't An Ornament, Mere Symbol. It's The Mystery Of God's Love, That He Died For Our Sins.

Without Mercy, We Have Little Chance Nowadays Of Becoming Part Of A World Of 'wounded' Persons In Need Of Understanding, Forgiveness, Love.

In These Cases, Where There Is An Unjust Aggression, I Can Only Say That It Is Licit To Stop The Unjust Aggressor. I Emphasize The Word: "stop". I'm Not Saying Drop Bombs, Make War, But Stop The Aggressor. The Means Used To Stop Him Would Have To Be Evaluated.

Let Us Build Our Lives Of Faith On The Rock Who Is Christ.

Every Christian Is A Missionary To The Extent That He Or She Bears Witness To God’s Love. Be Missionaries Of God’s Tenderness!

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