Background Image

...

The Gospel Of Life Is Not For Believers Alone: It Is For Everyone. The Issue Of Life And Its Defense And Promotion Is Not A Concern Of The Christian Alone. Although Faith Provides Special Light And Strength, This Question Arises In Every Human Conscience Which Seeks The Truth And Which Cares About The Future Of Humanity. Life Certainly Has A Sacred And Religious Value, But In No Way Is That Value A Concern Only Of Believers. The Value At Stake Is One Which Every Human Being Can Grasp By The Light Of Reason; Thus It Necessarily Concerns Everyone.

-Pope John Paul II

...

Please Wait....
Translating....

The Gospel Of Life

Pope John Paul II

...

The Gospel Of Life Is Not For Believers Alone: It Is For Everyone. The Issue Of Life And Its Defense And Promotion Is Not A Concern Of The Christian Alone. Although Faith Provides Special Light And Strength, This Question Arises In Every Human Conscience Which Seeks The Truth And Which Cares About The Future Of Humanity. Life Certainly Has A Sacred And Religious Value, But In No Way Is That Value A Concern Only Of Believers. The Value At Stake Is One Which Every Human Being Can Grasp By The Light Of Reason; Thus It Necessarily Concerns Everyone.

Views: 5

Topic

More From Pope John Paul II

Around The World, We See The Results Of Exploitation Which Destroys Much Without Taking Future Generations Into Account. Protecting The World's Forests; Stemming Desertification And Erosion; Avoiding The Spread Of Toxic Substances Harmful To Man, Animals And Plants; Protecting The Atmosphere; All These Can Be Accomplished Only Through Active And Wise Cooperation, Without Borders Or Political Power Plays.

Sensitivity To The Immense Needs Of Humanity Brings With It A Spontaneous Rejection Of The Arms Race, Which Is Incompatible With The All Out Struggle Against Hunger, Sickness, Under-development And Illiteracy.

Never Again War! Never Again Hatred And Intolerance!

Mary Is The Sure Path To Our Meeting With Christ. Devotion To The Mother Of The Lord, When It Is Genuine, Is Always An Impetus To A Life Guided By The Spirit And Values Of The Gospel.

Man's Life Comes From God: It Is His Image And Imprint, As Sharing In His Breath Of Life. God Therefore Is The Sole Lord Of This Life: Man Cannot Do With It As He Wills.

Science Can Purify Religion From Error And Superstition. Religion Can Purify Science From Idolatry And False Absolutes.

Opting For Peace Does Not Mean A Passive Acquiescence To Evil Or Compromise Of Principle. It Demands An Active Struggle Against Hatred, Oppression And Disunity, But Not By Using Methods Of Violence. Building Peace Requires Creative And Courageous Action

The Call For A Sincere Gift Of Self Is The Fullest Way To Realize Our Personal Freedom.

In The Sacrifice Which Jesus Christ Makes Of Himself On The Cross For His Bride, The Church... There Is Entirely Revealed That Plan Which God Has Imprinted On The Humanity Of Man And Woman Since Their Creation.

There Is No Peace Without Justice, And No Justice Without Forgiveness.

Faced With Today's Problems And Disappointments , Many People Will Try To Escape From Their Responsibility. Escape In Selfishness, Escape In Sexual Pleasure, Escape In Drugs, Escape In Violence, Escape In Indifference And Cynical Attitudes. I Propose To You The Option Of Love, Which Is The Opposite Of Escape.

In Our Time, In Particular, There Exists Another Form Of Ownership Which Is Becoming No Less Important Than Land: The Possession Of Know-how, Technology And Skill. The Wealth Of The Industrialized Nations Is Based Much More On This Kind Of Ownership Than On Natural Resources.

Truth Must Be The Foundation Stone, The Cement To Solidify The Entire Social Edifice.

A Process Of Genocide Is Being Carried Out Before The Eyes Of The World.

The World [is] Tired Of Ideology [and] Is Opening Itself To The Truth. The Time Has Come When The Splendor Of This Truth Has Begun Anew To Illuminate The Darkness Of Human Existence.

God Is Love. We Eventually Have To Ask Ourselves The Question; Why Was Love Nailed To A Cross?

Only Faith In Christ Gives Rise To A Culture Contrary To Egotism And Death.

Faith And Reason Are Like Two Wings Of The Human Spirit By Which Is Soars To The Truth.

War Should Belong To The Tragic Past, To History: It Should Find No Place On Humanity's Agenda For The Future.

Wars Generally Do Not Resolve The Problems For Which They Are Fought And Therefore, In Addition To Causing Horrendous Damage, They Prove Ultimately Futile.

In The Newborn Child Is Realized The Common Good Of The Family.

We Are The Sum Of The Father's Love For Us

Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide Are Never Acceptable Acts Of Mercy. They Always Gravely Exploit The Suffering And Desperate, Extinguishing Life In The Name Of The 'quality Of Life' Itself.

This Is No Time To Be Ashamed Of The Gospel. It Is The Time To Preach It From The Rooftops. Do Not Be Afraid To Break Out Of Comfortable And Routine Modes Of Living In Order To Take Up The Challenge Of Making Christ Known In The Modern Metropolis.

In This Silence Of The White Host, Carried In The Monstrance, Are All His Words; There Is His Whole Life Given In Offering To The Father For Each Of Us; There Is Also The Glory Of The Glorified Body, Which Started With The Resurrection, And Still Continues In Heavenly Union.

Are You Capable Of Risking Your Life For Someone? Do It For Christ.

Risking Your Life

People Are Made For Happiness. Rightly, Then, You Thirst For Happiness. Christ Has The Answer To This Desire Of Yours. But He Asks You To Trust Him.

It Is Pleasant To Spend Time With Him, To Lie Close To His Breast Like The Beloved Disciple And To Feel The Infinite Love Present In His Heart....how Can We Not Feel A Renewed Need To Spend Time In Spiritual Converse, In Silent Adoration, In Heartfelt Love Before Christ Present In The Most Holy Sacrament?

God Passionately Desires And Ardently Yearns For Our Salvation... Nothing Is Greater Than This: That The Blood Of God Was Poured Out For Us.

Do You Think That There Can Be Anything Greater Than To Bring Jesus To People And People To Jesus?

The Gradual Depletion Of The Ozone Layer And The Related "greenhouse Effect" Has Now Reached Crisis Proportions As A Consequence Of Industrial Growth, Massive Urban Concentrations And Vastly Increased Energy Needs. Industrial Waste, The Burning Of Fossil Fuels, Unrestricted Deforestation, The Use Of Certain Types Of Herbicides, Coolants And Propellants: All Of These Are Known To Harm The Atmosphere And Environment.

Love Is Never Defeated, And I Could Add, The History Of Ireland Proves It.

An Important Day In A Young Person's Life Is The Day On Which He Becomes Convinced That Christ Is The Only Friend Who Will Not Disappoint Him, On Which He Can Always Count.

Forgiveness Is Above All A Personal Choice, A Decision Of The Heart To Go Against The Natural Instinct To Pay Back Evil With Evil.

The Choice Of Euthanasia Becomes More Serious When It Takes The Form Of A Murder Committed By Others On A Person Who Has In No Way Requested It And Who Has Never Consented To It. The Height Of Arbitrariness And Injustice Is Reached When Certain People, Such As Physicians Or Legislators, Arrogate To Themselves The Power To Decide Who Ought To Live And Who Ought To Die.

The Rosary Mystically Transports Us To Mary's Side As She Is Busy Watching Over The Human Growth Of Christ In The Home Of Nazareth. This Enables Her To Train Us And To Mold Us With The Same Care, Until Christ Is ''fully Formed'' In Us... Why Should We Not Once More Have Recourse To The Rosary, With The Same Faith As Those Who Have Gone Before Us?

While It Is True That The Taking Of Life Not Yet Born Or In It's Final Stages Is Sometimes Marked By A Mistaken Sense Of Altruism And Human Compassion It Cannot Be Denied That Such A Culture Of Death, Taken As A Whole, Betrays A Completely Individualistic Concept Of Freedom, Which Ends Up By Becoming The Freedom Of "the Strong" Against The Weak Who Have No Choice But To Submit.

You, Too, Be Courageous! The World Needs Convinced And Fearless Witnesses. It Is Not Enough To Discuss, It Is Necessary To Act!

The Encouragement And The Deepening Of Eucharistic Worship Are Proofs Of The Authentic Renewal Which The Council Set Itself As An Aim And Of Which They Are The Central Point.

Beneath The Sacred Host, Christ Is Contained, The Redeemer Of The World

May Mary, Who In The Freedom Of Her 'fiat' And Her Presence At The Foot Of The Cross, Offered To The World, Jesus, The Liberator, Help Us To Find Him In The Sacrament Of The Altar

Modern Society Will Find No Solution To The Ecological Problem Unless It Takes A Serious Look At Its Lifestyle. In Many Parts Of The World Society Is Given To Instant Gratification And Consumerism While Remaining Indifferent To The Damage Which These Attitudes Cause. Simplicity, Moderation And Discipline, As Well As A Spirit Of Sacrifice, Must Become Part Of Everyday Life, Lest All Suffer The Negative Consequences Of The Careless Habits Of A Few.

The Seriousness Of Ecological Degradation Lays Bare The Depth Of Man's Moral Crisis... Simplicity, Moderation, And Discipline As Well As The Spirit Of Sacrifice Must Become A Part Of Everyday Life.

We Must Open Our Eyes To Admire God Who Hides And At The Same Time Reveals Himself In Things And Introduces Us Into The Realms Of Mystery... We Must Be Pure And Simple Like Children, Capable Of Admiring, Being Astonished, Of Marveling, And Being Enchanted By The Divine Gestures Of Love And Closeness We Witness.

Each Individual In Fact Has Moral Responsibility For The Acts Which He Personally Performs; No One Can Be Exempted From This Responsibility, And On The Basis Of It Everyone Will Be Judged By God Himself.

In The Past, It Was Possible To Destroy A Village, A Town, A Region, Even A Country. Now It Is The Whole Planet That Has Come Under Threat. This Fact Should Compel Everyone To Face A Basic Moral Consideration; From Now On, It Is Only Through A Conscious Choice And Then Deliberate Policy That Humanity Will Survive.

I Plead With You--never, Ever Give Up On Hope, Never Doubt, Never Tire, And Never Become Discouraged. Be Not Afraid.

Contraception Contradicts The Full Truth Of The Sexual Act As The Proper Expression Of Conjugal Love.

Know What You Are Talking About.

God Comes To Us In The Things We Know Best And Cane Verify Most Easily, The Things Of Our Everyday Life.

The Path Of Goodness Had A Name It Is Called Love In It We Find The Key To Every Hope And Has It's Root In God Himself

Believers Know That The Presence Of Evil Is Always Accompanied By The Presence Of Good, By Grace... Where Evil Grows, There The Hope For Good Also Grows... In The Love That Pours Forth From The Heart Of Christ, We Find Hope For The Future Of The World. Christ Has Redeemed The World: "by His Wounds We Are Healed." (isaiah 53:5)

Laws Which Authorize And Promote Abortion And Euthanasia Are Therefore Radically Opposed Not Only To The Good Of The Individual But Also To The Common Good; As Such They Are Completely Lacking In Authentic Juridical Validity. Disregard For The Right To Life, Precisely Because It Leads To The Killing Of The Person Whom Society Exists To Serve, Is What Most Directly Conflicts With The Possibility Of Achieving The Common Good. Consequently, A Civil Law Authorizing Abortion Or Euthanasia Ceases By That Very Fact To Be A True, Morally Binding Civil Law.

St. Joseph Was A Just Man, A Tireless Worker, The Upright Guardian Of Those Entrusted To His Care. May He Always Guard, Protect And Enlighten Families.

Interdependence Must Be Transformed Into Solidarity Based Upon The Principle That The Goods Of Creation Are Meant For All. That Which Human Industry Produces Through The Processing Of Raw Materials With The Contribution Of Work Must Serve Equally For The Good Of All.

Jesus Himself Has Shown Us By His Own Example That Prayer And Fasting Are The First And Most Effective Weapons Against The Forces Of Evil.

Motherhood Involves A Special Communion With The Mystery Of Life, As It Develops In The Mother's Womb. The Mother Is Filled With Wonder At This Mystery Of Life, And 'understands' With Unique Intuition What Is Happening Inside Her. In The Light Of The 'beginning', The Mother Accepts And Loves As A Person The Child She Is Carrying In Her Womb. This Unique Contact With The New Human Being Developing Within Her Gives Rise To An Attitude Towards Human Beings - Not Only Towards Her Own Child, But Every Human Being - Which Profoundly Marks The Woman's Personality.

Utilitarianism Is A Civilization Of Production And Of Use, A Civilization Of "things" And Not Of "persons," A Civilization In Which Persons Are Used In The Same Way As Things Are Used. In The Context Of A Civilization Of Use, Woman Can Become An Object For Man, Children A Hindrance To Parents, The Family An Institution Obstructing The Freedom Of Its Members.

The Mother Of Christ, Who Stands At The Very Center Of This Mystery...is Given As Mother To Every Single Individual And All Mankind.

The Greatest Deception, And The Deepest Source Of Unhappiness, Is The Illusion Of Finding Life By Excluding God, Of Finding Freedom By Excluding Moral Truths And Personal Responsibility.

With The Rosary, The Christian People Sits At The School Of Mary And Is Led To Contemplate The Beauty On The Face Of Christ And To Experience The Depths Of His Love.

The Eucharist Is Not Only A Particularly Intense Expression Of The Reality Of The Church's Life, But Also In A Sense Its Fountainhead. The Eucharist Feeds And Forms The Church: 'because There Is One Bread, We Who Are Many Are One Body, For We All Partake Of The One Bread' (1 Cor 10:17, Rsv). Because Of This Vital Link With The Sacrament Of The Body And Blood Of The Lord, The Mystery Of The Church Is Savored, Proclaimed, And Lived Supremely In The Eucharist.

Freedom Is Not The Ability To Do Anything We Want, Whenever We Want. Rather, Freedom Is The Ability To Live Responsibly The Truth Of Our Relationship With God And With One Another.

Our Relationship

Relationship With God

Thus To Share In The Sufferings Of Christ Is, At The Same Time, To Suffer For The Kingdom Of God. In The Eyes Of The Just God, Before His Judgment. Those Who Share In The Sufferings Of Christ Become Worthy Of This Kingdom.

We Are The People Of Life, Because God, In His Unconditional Love, Has Given Us The Gospel Of Life, And We Are Called To Act Accordingly.

Unconditional Love

The Enemy Of The Human Race...invented A Means Never Before Heard Of, By Which He Might Hinder The Preaching Of God's Word Of Salvation To The People.

Certain Elements Of Today's Ecological Crisis Reveal Its Moral Character. First Among These Is The Indiscriminate Application Of Advances In Science And Technology. Many Recent Discoveries Have Brought Undeniable Benefits To Humanity. Indeed, They Demonstrate The Nobility Of The Human Vocation To Participate Responsibly In God's Creative Action In The World. Unfortunately, It Is Now Clear That The Application Of These Discoveries In The Fields Of Industry And Agriculture Have Produced Harmful Long-term Effects.

Man Must Reconcile Himself To His Natural Greatness.... He Must Not Forget That He Is A Person.

Humanity Should Question Itself, Once More, About The Absurd And Always Unfair Phenomenon Of War, On Whose Stage Of Death And Pain Only Remain Standing The Negotiating Table That Could And Should Have Prevented It.

May The Culture Of Life And Love Render Vain The Logic Of Death.

Faith And Reason Are Like Two Wings On Which The Human Spirit Rises To The Contemplation Of Truth; And God Has Placed In The Human Heart A Desire To Know The Truth- In A Word, To Know Himself- So That, By Knowing And Loving God, Men And Women May Also Come To The Fullness Of Truth About Themselves.

To Be Actively Pro-life Is To Contribute To The Renewal Of Society Through The Promotion Of The Common Good. It Is Impossible To Further The Common Good Without Acknowledging And Defending The Right To Life, Upon Which All The Other Inalienable Rights Of Individuals Are Founded And From Which They Develop.

Modern Society Will Find No Solution To The Ecological Problem Unless It Takes A Serious Look At Its Lifestyle.

Take Away From Love The Fullness Of Self Surrender, The Completeness Of Personal Commitment, And What Remains Will Be A Total Denial And Negation Of It.

Have No Fear Of Moving Into The Unknown.

Fear Of The Unknown

War Is A Defeat For Humanity.

There Are Many Examples Of This Mistaken Idea Of Freedom, Such As The Elimination Of Human Life By Legalized Or Generally Accepted Abortion.

We Are All One Family In The World. Building A Community That Empowers Everyone To Attain Their Full Potential Through Each Of Us Respecting Each Other's Dignity, Rights And Responsibilities Makes The World A Better Place To Live.

I Hope That Your Example Attracts Many Souls To The Adoration Of Jesus Christ Who Is Present On The Altar To Be Of Comfort And Hope To Those Who Confide In Him With Faith And Love; They Look On Him As The Emmanuel, God With Us, Who Wished To Dwell Amongst Us: His Heart In Our Heart

Look, I Can Surely Say By Now That I've Got The Antibodies To Communism Inside Me. But When I Think Of Consumer Society, With All Its Tragedies, I Wonder Which Of The Two Systems Is Better.

Limitation Of One's Freedom Might Seem To Be Something Negative And Unpleasant, But Love Makes It A Positive, Joyful And Creative Thing. Freedom Exists For The Sake Of Love.

The Future Starts Today, Not Tomorrow.

The Man Who Wishes To Understand Himself Thoroughly Must With His Unrest, Uncertainty, And Even His Weakness And Sinfulness, With His Life And Death, Draw Near To Christ.

There Is No True Peace Without Fairness, Truth, Justice And Solidarity.

Laws Which Legitimize The Direct Killing Of Innocent Human Beings Through Abortion Or Euthanasia Are In Complete Opposition To The Inviolable Right To Life Proper To Every Individual; They Thus Deny The Equality Of Everyone Before The Law.

Humanity Looks To Works Of Art To Shed Light Upon Its Path And Its Destiny.

Real Love Is Demanding. I Would Fail In My Mission If I Did Not Clearly Tell You So. For It Was Jesus - Our Jesus Himself - Who Said: 'you Are My Friends If You Do What I Command You'. Love Demands Effort And A Personal Commitment To The Will Of God. It Means Discipline And Sacrifice, But It Also Means Joy And Human Fulfilment.

The Goal And Target Of Our Life Is He, The Christ Who Awaits Us -- Each One Singly And Altogether -- To Lead Us Across The Boundaries Of Time To The Eternal Embrace Of The God Who Loves Us.

If Development Is The New Name For Peace, War And Preparations For War Are The Major Enemy Of The Healthy Development Of Peoples. If We Take The Common Good Of All Humanity As Our Norm, Instead Of Individual Greed, Peace Would Be Possible.

Dear Young People Of Every Language And Culture, A High And Exhilarating Task Awaits You: That Of Becoming Men And Women Capable Of Solidarity, Peace And Love Of Life, With Respect For Everyone. Become Craftsmen Of A New Humanity, Where Brothers And Sisters - Members All Of The Same Family - Are Able At Last To Live In Peace.

Those Who Perceive In Themselves... The Artistic Vocation As Poet, Writer, Sculptor, Painter, Musician, And Actor Feel At The Same Time An Obligation Not To Waste This Talent But To Develop It, In Order To Put It To Service Of Their Neighbour And The Humanity As A Whole.

The Way Jesus Shows You Is Not Easy. Rather, It Is Like A Path Winding Up A Mountain. Do Not Lose Heart! The Steeper The Road, The Faster It Rises Towards Ever Wider Horizons.

Only Through The Eucharist Is It Possible To Live The Heroic Virtues Of Christianity: Charity, To The Point Of Forgiving One's Enemies; Love For Those Who Make Us Suffer; Chastity In Every Age And Situation Of Life; Patience In Suffering And When One Is Shocked By The Silence Of God In The Tragedies Of History Or Of One's Own Personal Existence. You Must Always Be Eucharistic Souls In Order To Be Authentic Christians

Let Me Go To The House Of The Father.

Famous Last Words

Prayer Gives Us Light By Which To See And To Judge From God's Perspective And From Eternity. That Is Why You Must Not Give Up On Praying!

The Church And The World Have A Great Need Of Eucharistic Worship. Jesus Waits For Us In This Sacrament Of Love. Let Us Be Generous With Our Time In Going To Meet Him In Adoration And In Contemplation That Is Full Of Faith And Ready To Make Reparation For The Great Faults And Crimes Of The World. May Our Adoration Never Cease

The Only Really Effective Means Of Enabling States To Deal With The Grave Problem Of Poverty Is To Provide Them With The Necessary Resources Through Foreign Financial Aid - Public And Private - Granted Under Reasonable Conditions, Within The Framework Of International Commercial Relations Regulated With Fairness.

The Measure Of Your Success Will Be The Measure Of Your Generosity.

Your Generosity

The Future Is In Your Hearts And In Your Hands. God Is Entrusting To You The Task, At Once Difficult And Uplifting, Of Working With Him In The Building Of The Civilization Of Love.

Work Bears A Particular Mark Of Man And Of Humanity, The Mark Of A Person Operating Within A Community Of Persons

See Everything. Ignore A Lot. Improve A Little.

It Can Therefore Be Said That, From The Viewpoint Of The Doctrine Of The Faith, There Are No Difficulties In Explaining The Origin Of Man In Regard To The Body, By Means Of The Theory Of Evolution.

Theory Of Evolution

Condemning Class Struggle Does Not Mean Condemning Every Possible Form Of Social Conflict. Such Conflicts Inevitably Arise And Christians Must Often Take A Position In The "struggle For Social Justice." What Is Condemned Is "total War," Which Has No Respect For The Dignity Of Others (and Consequently Of Oneself). It Excludes Reasonable Compromise, Does Not Pursue The Common Good But The Good Of A Group, And Sets Out To Destroy Whatever Stands In Its Way.

Around The World, We Can See The Results Of Exploitation Which Destroys Much Without Taking Future Generations Into Account. Today, All Men Have A Duty To Show Themselves Worthy Of The Mission Given Them By The Creator By Ensuring The Safekeeping Of That Creation.

Darkness Can Only Be Scattered By Light, Hatred Can Only Be Conquered By Love.

I Encourage Christians Regularly To Visit Christ Present In The Blessed Sacrament, For We Are All Called To Abide In The Presence Of God.

Eucharistic Adoration

Eucharistic Worship Is Not So Much Worship Of The Inaccessible Transcendence As Worship Of The Divine Condescension, And It Is Also The Merciful And Redeeming Transformation Of The World In The Human Heart

Condescension And

The United Nations Organization Has Proclaimed 1979 As The Year Of The Child. Are The Children To Receive The Arms Race From Us As A Necessary Inheritance?

My Desire Is For The Young People Of The Entire World To Come Closer To Mary. She Is The Bearer Of An Indelible Youthfulness And Beauty That Never Wanes. May Young People Have Increasing Confidence In Her And May They Entrust Their Lives To Her.

The Obligation To Earn One's Bread Presumes The Right To Do So. A Society That Denies This Right Cannot Be Justified, Nor Can It Attain Social Peace.

Chastity Is A Difficult Long Term Matter, One Must Wait Patiently For It To Bear Fruit For The Happiness Of Loving Kindness Which It Must Bring. But At The Same Time Chastity Is The Sure Way To Happiness.

The Modern World, A World Which Has Experienced Marvelous Achievements But Which Seems To Have Lost Its Sense Of Ultimate Realities And Of Existence Itself.

Chess Holds Deep Wisdoms Of The People. It Is Truly An Image Of Life, The Reflection Of Human Fate That Has Shown Us The Earthly Way Of Suffering In Darkness And Permanent Shortage Of Time. Like In Chess, We Encounter All Kinds Of Traps, Mistakes, Settlements, Sacrifices, Kings, And Queens, Doubled Pawns, And Extraordinary Moves While We Are On The Board Ourselves.

When A Parliamentary Or Social Majority Decrees That It Is Legal, At Least Under Certain Conditions, To Kill Unborn Human Life, Is It Not Really Making A Tyrannical Decision With Regard To The Weakest And Most Defenseless Of Human Beings?....while Public Authority Can Sometimes Choose Not To Put A Stop To Something Which Were It Prohibited Would Cause More Serious Harm, It Can Never Presume To Legitimize As A Right Of Individuals Even If They Are The Majority Of The Members Of Society An Offense Against Other Persons Caused By The Disregard Of So Fundamental A Right As The Right To Life.

In My Reading And In My Studies I Always Tried To Achieve A Harmony Between Faith, Reason, And The Heart. These Are Not Separate Areas, But Are Profoundly Interconnected, Each Giving Life To The Other.

For 2,000 Years, The Church Has Been The Cradle In Which Mary Places Jesus And Entrusts Him To The Adoration And Contemplation Of All Peoples. May The Humility Of The Bride Cause To Shine Forth Still More Brightly The Glory And Power Of The Eucharist, Which She Celebrates And Treasures In Her Heart. In The Sign Of The Consecrated Bread And Wine, Christ Jesus Risen And Glorified, The Light Of The Nations, Reveals The Enduring Reality Of His Incarnation. He Remains Living And Real In Our Midst In Order To Nourish The Faithful With His Body And Blood.

Friendship, As Has Been Said, Consists In A Full Commitment Of The Will To Another Person With A View To That Person's Good.

Sacred Scripture Wishes Simply To Declare That The World Was Created By God, And In Order To Teach This Truth It Expressed Itself In Terms Of The Cosmology In Use At The Time Of The Writer. Any Other Teaching About The Origin And Makeup Of The Universe Is So Alien To The Intentions Of The Bible, Which Does Not Wish To Teach How Heaven Was Made But How One Goes To Heaven.

Is Not Jesus Pointing To Children Even As Models For Grownups?

Furthermore, Because God Created It, The Human Body Can Remain Nude And Uncovered And Preserve Its Splendour And Its Beauty.

Humankind, Which Discovers Its Capacity To Transform And In A Certain Sense Create The World Through Its Own Work, Forgets That This Is Always Based On God's Prior And Original Gift Of Things That Are. People Think That They Can Make Arbitrary Use Of The Earth, Subjecting It Without Restraint To Their Wills, As Though The Earth Did Not Have Its Own Requisites And A Prior God-given Purpose, Which Human Beings Can Indeed Develop But Must Not Betray.

The Eucharist Is The Source And Summit Of The Christian Life

'lord You Know That I Love You...lord, You Know That I Love You' (jn 21:15-17). The Eucharist Is, In A Certain Way, The Culminating Point Of This Answer. I Wish To Repeat It Together With The Whole Church To Him, Who Manifested His Love By Means Of The Sacrament Of His Body And Blood, Remaining With Us 'to The Close Of The Age'

Amongst All Unimportant Subjects, Football Is By Far The Most Important.

Prayer Finds Its Source In God's Holiness And It Is At The Same Time Our Response To This Holiness.

The Church Must Breathe With Her Two Lungs!

Prayer Can Truly Change Your Life. For It Turns Your Attention Away From Yourself And Directs Your Mind And Your Heart Toward The Lord. If We Look Only At Ourselves, With Our Own Limitations And Sins, We Quickly Give Way To Sadness And Discouragement. But If We Keep Our Eyes Fixed On The Lord, Then Our Hearts Are Filled With Hope, Our Minds Are Washed N The Light Of Truth, And We Come To Know The Fullness Of The Gospel With All Is Promise And Life.

To Humanity, Which Sometimes Seems To Be Lost And Dominated By The Power Of Evil, Selfishness And Fear, The Risen Lord Gives The Gift Of His Love Which Forgives, Reconciles And Reopens The Soul To Hope.

The Only Struggle Which Religions Can Justify, The Only Struggle Worthy Of Humans, Is The Moral Struggle Against Humanity's Own Disordered Passions, Against Every Kind Of Selfishness, Against Attempts To Oppress Others, Against Every Type Of Hatred And Violence.

As The Family Goes, So Goes The Nation And So Goes The Whole World In Which We Live.

In The Mass And In Eucharistic Adoration We Meet The Merciful Love Of God That Passes Through The Heart Of Jesus Christ.

The Obligation To Earn One's Bread By The Sweat Of One's Brow Also Presumes The Right To Do So. A Society In Which This Right Is Systematically Denied, In Which Economic Policies Do Not Allow Workers To Reach Satisfactory Levels Of Employment, Cannot Be Justified From An Ethical Point Of View, Nor Can That Society Attain Social Peace.

Born And Nurtured When The Human Being First Asked Questions About The Reason For Things And Their Purpose, Philosophy Shows In Different Modes And Forms That The Desire For Truth Is Part Of Human Nature Itself.

And Everything Else Will Then Turn Out To Be Unimportant And Inessential Except This: Father, Child, And Love. And Then, Looking At The Simplest Things, We Will All Say, Could We Have Not Learned This Long Ago? Has This Not Always Been Embedded In Everything That Is?

Respect For Life And For The Dignity Of The Human Person Also Extends To The Rest Of Creation, Which Is Called To Join Man In Praising God.

What Really Matters In Life Is That We Are Loved By Christ And That We Love Him In Return. In Comparison To The Love Of Jesus, Everything Else Is Secondary. And, Without The Love Of Jesus, Everything Is Useless.

Those In Society Who Are In Charge Of Schools Must Never Forget That The Parents Have Been Appointed By God Himself As The First And Principal Educators Of Their Children And That Their Right Is Completely Inalienable.

The Most Urgent Task Is That Of The Biblical And Liturgical Formation Of The People Of God.

There Must Be A Cooperation Of All Who Believe In God, Knowing That Authentic Religiousness - Far From Placing Individuals And Peoples In Conflict With One Another - Rather Pushes Them Together To Build A World Of Peace.

A Society Will Be Judged On The Basis Of How It Treats Its Weakest Members; And Among The Most Vulnerable Are Surely The Unborn And The Dying.

The Battle Against The Devil, Which Is The Principal Task Of Saint Michael The Archangel, Is Still Being Fought Today, Because The Devil Is Still Alive And Active In The World.

The Most Generous Choices, Especially The Persevering, Are The Fruit Of Profound And Prolonged Union With God In Prayerful Silence.

Christ Called As His Apostles Only Men. He Did This In A Totally Free And Sovereign Way.

Love Between Man And Woman Cannot Be Built Without Sacrifices And Self-denial.

Take Heart Young People! Christ Is Calling You And The World Awaits You! Remember The Kingdom Of God Needs Your Generous And Complete Dedication.

A Community Needs A Soul If It Is To Become A True Home For Human Beings. You.. The People Must Give It This Soul.

I Cannot Fail To Note Once Again That The Poor Constitute The Modern Challenge, Especially For The Well-off Of Our Planet, Where Millions Of People Live In Inhuman Conditions And Many Are Literally Dying Of Hunger. It Is Not Possible To Announce God The Father To These Brothers And Sisters Without Taking On The Responsibility Of Building A More Just Society In The Name Of Christ.

People Must Not Attempt To Impose Their Own 'truth' On Others. The Right To Profess The Truth Must Always Be Upheld, But Not In A Way That Involves Contempt For Those Who May Think Differently. Truth Imposes Itself Solely By The Force Of Its Own Truth.

In A World Where The Name Of God Is Sometimes Associated With Vengeance And Even A Duty Of Hatred And Violence, This Message Is Both Timely And Significant.

The Unworthy Successor Of Peter Who Desires To Benefit From The Immeasurable Wealth Of Christ Feels The Great Need Of Your Assistance, Your Prayers, Your Sacrifice, And He Most Humbly Asks This Of You.

A Man Shows Himself A True Disciple Of Christ By Carrying The Cross In His Turn Every Day In The Activity That He Is Called To Perform.

To Predispose Our Mind To Welcome The Lord Who, As We Say In The Creed, One Day Will Come To Judge The Living And The Dead, We Must Learn To Recognize Him As Present In The Events Of Daily Life. Therefore, Advent Is, So To Speak, An Intense Training That Directs Us Decisively Toward Him Who Already Came, Who Will Come, And Who Comes Continuously.

Intense Training

Believers Do Not Surrender. They Can Continue On Their Way To The Truth Because They Are Certain That God Has Created Them "explorers", Whose Mission Is To Leave No Stone Unturned, Though The Temptation To Doubt Is Always There. Leaning On God, They Continue To Reach Out, Always And Everywhere, For All That Is Beautiful, Good, And True.

Human Progress Planned As Alternatives (to God's Plan) Introduce In Justice, Evil And Violence Rising Against The Divine Plan Of Justice And Salvation. And Despite Transitory And Apparent Successes, They Are Reduced To Simple Machinations Destined To Dissolution And Failure.

What We Talked About Will Have To Remain A Secret Between Him And Me. I Spoke To Him As A Brother Whom I Have Pardoned And Who Has My Complete Trust.

Taking Into Account These Distinctions, In Harmony With The Magisterium Of My Predecessors[81] And In Communion With The Bishops Of The Catholic Church, I Confirm That Euthanasia Is A Grave Violation Of The Law Of God, Since It Is The Deliberate And Morally Unacceptable Killing Of A Human Person.

When Our Whole Life Is One Faith, Hope, Love, Prayer And Silence, A Consecrated Life Always Bound Up In The Eucharist, Then The 'urge' Towards God Springs.

What Does Our Generation Owe To Generations Yet Unborn? ...there Is An Order In The Universe Which Must Be Respected, And... The Human Person, Endowed With The Capability Of Choosing Freely, Has A Grave Responsibility To Preserve This Order For The Well-being Of Future Generations.

The Film Industry Has Become A Universal Medium Exercising A Profound Influence On The Development Of People's Attitudes And Choices, And Possessing A Remarkable Ability To Influence Public Opinion And Culture Across All Social And Political Frontiers.

The Rosary Is My Favorite Prayer. A Prayer So Simple And So Rich; From Deepest Heart, I Exhort All To Recite It.

The Animals Possess A Soul And Men Must Love And Feel Solidarity With Our Smaller Brethren. All Animals Are Fruit Of The Creative Action Of The Holy Spirit And Merit Respect And They Are As Near To God As Men Are.

In Order To See Jesus, We First Need To Let Him Look At Us!

Consequently, Theories Of Evolution Which, In Accordance With The Philosophies Inspiring Them, Consider The Mind As Emerging From The Forces Of Living Matter, Or As A Mere Epiphenomenon Of This Matter, Are Incompatible With The Truth About Man. Nor Are They Able To Ground The Dignity Of The Person.

Theory Of Evolution

The Eucharist Is A Priceless Treasure: By Not Only Celebrating It But Also By Praying Before It Outside Of Mass We Are Enabled To Make Contact With The Very Wellspring Of Grace.

To Believe In Jesus Is To Accept What He Says, Even When It Runs Contrary To What Others Are Saying. It Means Rejecting The Lure Of Sin, However Attractive It May Be, In Order To Set Out On The Difficult Path Of The Gospel Virtues.

How Can Such Episodes Of Such Savage Cruelty Happen? The Heart Of Man Is An Abyss Out Of Which Sometimes Emerge Plots Of Unspeakable Ferocity Capable Of Overturning In An Instant The Tranquil And Productive Life Of A People.

Productive Life

Solidarity Is Not A Feeling Of Vague Compassion Or Shallow Distress At The Misfortunes Of So Many People, Both Near And Far. On The Contrary, It Is A Firm And Persevering Determination To Commit Oneself To The Common Good; That Is To Say To The Good Of All And Of Each Individual, Because We Are All Really Responsible For All

If Humanity Today Succeeds In Combining The New Scientific Capacities With A Strong Ethical Dimension, It Will Certainly Be Able To Promote The Environment As A Home And A Resource For...all...and Will Be Able To Eliminate The Causes Of Pollution And To Guarantee Adequate Conditions Of Hygiene And Health For Small Groups As Well As For Vast Human Settlements.

The Church Must Persist In The Teaching Transmitted To Her By Christ.

Farmers Everywhere Provide Bread For All Humanity, But It Is Christ Alone Who Is The Bread Of Life...even If All The Physical Hunger Of The World Were Satisfied, Even If Everyone Who Is Hungry Were Fed By His Or Her Own Labor Or By The Generosity Of Others, The Deepest Hunger Of Man Would Still Exist...therefore, I Say, Come, All Of You, To Christ. He Is The Bread Of Life. Come To Christ And You Will Never Be Hungry Again.

On The Basis Of His Work Each Person Is Fully Entitled To Consider Himself A Part Owner Of The Great Workbench At Which He Is Working With Everyone Else. A Way Toward That Goal Could Be Found By Associating Labor With The Ownership Of Capital Joint Ownership Of The Means Of Work, Sharing By The Workers In The Management And/or Profits Of Businesses, So-called Shareholding By Labor, Etc.

None Of Us Is Alone In This World; Each Of Us Is A Vital Piece Of The Great Mosaic Of Humanity As A Whole.

The Rosary Is My Favorite Prayer.

Pervading Nationalism Imposes Its Dominion On Man Today In Many Different Forms And With An Aggressiveness That Spares No One. The Challenge That Is Already With Us Is The Temptation To Accept As True Freedom What In Reality Is Only A New Form Of Slavery.

Your Faith Will Help You Realize That It Is Jesus Himself Who Is Present In The Blessed Sacrament, Waiting For You And Calling You To Spend One Special Specific Hour With Him Each Week.

Apart From The Mercy Of God, There Is No Other Source Of Hope For Mankind.

Yes, The Civilization Of Love Is Possible; It Is Not A Utopia. But It Is Only Possible By A Constant And Ready Reference To The "father From Whom All Fatherhood And Motherhood On Earth Is Named," From Whom Every Human Family Comes.

A Man, Even If Seriously Sick Or Prevented In The Exercise Of Its Higher Functions, Is And Will Be Always A Man ... [he] Will Never Become A 'vegetable' Or An 'animal,'" The Pope Said. "the Intrinsic Value And Personal Dignity Of Every Human Being Does Not Change Depending On Their Circumstances.

The Most Faithful Disciples Of Christ Have Been Builders Of Peace, To The Point Of Forgiving Their Enemies, Sometimes Even To The Point Of Giving Their Lives For Them.

None Are So Poor That They Have Nothing To Give...and None Are So Rich That They Have Nothing To Receive.

I Hurry To Express To You And Your Fellow Citizens My Profound Sorrow And My Closeness In Prayer For The Nation At This Dark And Tragic Moment.

Offer Christ Your Heart In Meditation And Personal Prayer Which Is The Foundation Of The Spiritual Life.

[on His 83rd Birthday] Physical Condition Or Advancing Of Age Are Not Obstacles To A Perfect Life. God Does Not Look At External Things But At The Soul.

The Gospel Of Life Is Not For Believers Alone: It Is For Everyone. The Issue Of Life And Its Defense And Promotion Is Not A Concern Of The Christian Alone. Although Faith Provides Special Light And Strength, This Question Arises In Every Human Conscience Which Seeks The Truth And Which Cares About The Future Of Humanity. Life Certainly Has A Sacred And Religious Value, But In No Way Is That Value A Concern Only Of Believers. The Value At Stake Is One Which Every Human Being Can Grasp By The Light Of Reason; Thus It Necessarily Concerns Everyone.

If You Want Peace, Work For Justice. If You Want Justice, Defend Life. If You Want Life, Embrace Truth.

A Person's Rightful Due Is To Be Treated As An Object Of Love, Not As An Object For Use.

Man Matures Through Work Which Inspires Him To Difficult Good.

The Lord Has Given You A Heart Open To Great Horizons; Do Not Be Afraid To Commit Your Life Completely To The Service Of Christ And His Gospel! Listen To Him As He Says Again Today: 'the Harvest Is Abundant, But The Laborers Are Few.

Where, If Not In The Divine Mercy, Can The World Find Refuge And The Light Of Hope?

Confidently Open Your Most Intimate Aspirations To The Love Of Christ Who Waits For You In The Eucharist. You Will Receive The Answer To All Your Worries And You Will See With Joy That The Consistency Of Your Life Which He Asks Of You Is The Door To Fulfill The Noblest Dreams Of Your Youth.

There Is No Place For Selfishness-and No Place For Fear! Do Not Be Afraid, Then, When Love Makes Demands. Do Not Be Afraid When Love Requires Sacrifice

It Is A Mistake To Apply American Democratic Procedures To The Faith And The Truth. You Cannot Take A Vote On The Truth. The Value Of Democracy Stands Or Falls With The Values Which It Embodies And Promotes.

From This Moment On, Live The Eucharist Fully; Be Persons For Whom The Holy Mass, Communion, And Eucharistic Adoration Are The Center And Summit Of Their Whole Life.

The Person Who Does Not Decide To Love Forever Will Find It Very Difficult To Really Love For Even One Day.

From Mary We Learn To Surrender To God's Will In All Things. From Mary We Learn To Trust Even When All Hope Seems Gone. From Mary We Learn To Love Christ Her Son And The Son Of God!

While In Some Cases The Damage Already Done May Well Be Irreversible, In Many Other Cases It Can Still Be Halted. It Is Necessary, However, That The Entire Human Community - Individuals, States And International Bodies - Take Seriously The Responsibility That Is Theirs.

Rediscover The Rosary In The Light Of Scripture, In Harmony With The Liturgy, And In The Context Of Your Daily Lives.

The Earth Will Not Continue To Offer Its Harvest, Except With Faithful Stewardship. We Cannot Say We Love The Land And Then Take Steps To Destroy It For Use By Future Generations.

Do Not Abandon Yourselves To Despair. We Are The Easter People And Hallelujah Is Our Song.

He Has Chosen You, In A Mysterious But Real Way, To Make You Saviors With Him And Like Him. Yes, Christ Calls You, But He Calls You In Truth. His Call Is Demanding, Because He Invites You To Let Yourselves Be 'captured' By Him Completely, So That Your Whole Lives Will Be Seen In A Different Light.

Trending Author

Abraham Lincoln

Colin Greenwood

Category