do not receive the gift of the Spirit for ourselves alone, but to build up one
another in faith, hope and love. I think of Saints Joseph Mkasa and Charles
Lwanga, who after being catechised by others, wanted to pass on the gift they
had received. They did this in dangerous times. Not only were their lives
threatened but so too were the lives of the younger boys under their care.
Because they had tended to their faith and deepened their love of God, they
were
fearless in bringing Christ to others, even at the cost of their lives. Their
faith became witness; today, venerated as martyrs, their example continues to
inspire people throughout the world. They continue to proclaim Jesus Christ and
the power of his Cross".
"If, like the martyrs, we daily fan into flame the gift of the Spirit who
dwells in our hearts, then we will surely become the missionary disciples which
Christ calls us to be. To our families and friends certainly, but also to those
whom we do not know, especially those who might be unfriendly, even hostile, to
us. This openness to others begins first in the family, in our homes where
charity and forgiveness are learned, and the mercy and love of God made known
in
our parents' love. It finds expression too in our care for the elderly and the
poor, the widowed and the orphaned".
"The witness of the martyrs shows to all who have heard their story, then and
now, that the worldly pleasures and earthly power do not bring lasting joy or
peace. Rather, fidelity to God, honesty and integrity of life, and genuine
concern for the good of others bring us that peace which the world cannot give.
This does not diminish our concern for this world, as if we only look to the
life to come. Instead, it gives purpose to our lives in this world, and helps
us
to reach out to those in need, to cooperate with others for the common good,
and
to build a more just society which promotes human dignity, defends God's gift
of
life and protects the wonders of nature, his creation and our common home".
"Dear brothers and sisters, this is the legacy which you have received from
the
Ugandan martyrs - lives marked by the power of the Holy Spirit, lives which
witness even now to the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This
legacy is not served by an occasional remembrance, or by being enshrined in a
museum as a precious jewel. Rather, we honour them, and all the saints, when we
carry on their witness to Christ, in our homes and neighbourhoods, in our
workplaces and civil society, whether we never leave our homes or we go to the
farthest corner of the world".
"May the Uganda martyrs, together with Mary, Mother of the Church, intercede
for us, and may the Holy Spirit kindle within us the fire of his divine love!
Omukama abawe omukisa. God bless you!".
___________________________________________________________
Francis to the young people of Kenya: tribalism is defeated by listening,
opening one's heart, and dialogue
Vatican City, 28 November 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father's last act in Kenya was
his encounter with the young in the Kasarani stadium, where he set aside his
prepared discourse and instead directly responded to some questions, in his
native Spanish. The following are extensive extracts from Pope Francis'
answers.
"There exists a question at the basis of all the questions you have asked me.
Why are there divisions, struggles, war, death and fanaticism? Why is there
this
desire for self-destruction? In the first page of the Bible, after all the
wonders that God worked, a brother kills his own brother. The spirit of evil
leads us to destruction; the spirit of evil leads us to disunity, to tribalism,
to corruption, to drug abuse. ... It leads us to destruction through
fanaticism.
Manuel asked me, 'What can we do to ensure that ideological fanaticism does not
rob us of our brothers or friends?'. ... The first thing I would say in
response
is that a man loses the best of his humanity, and a woman loses the best of her
humanity, when they forget to pray, because they consider themselves
omnipotent;
they do not feel the need to ask the Lord's help when faced with so many
tragedies. Life is full of difficulties, but there are two ways of looking at
difficulties: either you can see them as something that obstructs you, that
destroys you, or you can see them as a real opportunity. It is up to you to
choose. For me, is a difficulty either a path to destruction, or an opportunity
to overcome my situation, or that of my family, my community or my country? ...
Some of the difficulties that you have mentioned are challenges".
"One challenge that Lynette mentioned is that of tribalism. Tribalism destroys
a nation: ... it can be defeated by using our ear, our heart and our hand. With
our ears, we listen: what is your culture? Why are you this way? Why does your
tribe have this habit or this custom? ... With the heart: after listening, the
answer is to open your heart; and finally, to extend you hand so as to continue
the dialogue. ... I would now like to invite all you young people ... to come
here
and to take each other by the hand; let us stand up and take each other by the
hand as a sign against tribalism. We are all a single nation! ... Conquering
tribalism is a task to be carried out day by day: it is the work of the ear, in
listening to others; the work of the heart, opening one's heart to others; and
the work of the hand, extending one's hand to others".
"Another question is that of corruption. ... Corruption is something that
enters
into us. It is like sugar: it is sweet, we like it, it's easy, but then, it
ends
badly. With so much easy sugar we end up diabetic, and so does our country.
Every time we accept a bribe and put it in our pocket, we destroy our heart, we
destroy our personality and we destroy our homeland. ... What you steal through
corruption remains ... in the heart of the many men and women who have been
harmed
by your example of corruption. It remains in the lack of the good you should
have done and did not do. It remains in sick and hungry children, because the
money that was for them, through your corruption, you kept for yourself. Boys
and girls, corruption is not a path for life, it is a path of death".
"Manuel too asked some incisive questions. ... What can we do to prevent the
recruitment of our loved ones [by militias]? What can we do to bring them back?
To answer this question we need to know why a young person, full of hope, lets
himself be recruited or indeed seeks to be recruited: he leaves behind his
family, his friends, he drifts away from life, because he learns how to kill.
And this is a question that you must address to the authorities. If a young
person, a boy or a girl, a man or a woman, has no job and cannot study, what
can
he or she do? ... The first thing we must do to prevent the young from being
recruited or seeking recruitment is to focus on education and work. If young
people have no job, what future awaits them? ... This is the danger. It is a
social danger, that comes from beyond us, from beyond the country, because it
depends on the international system, which is unjust, and which places the
economy and the god of money at its centre, rather than the person".
"Another question was: how can we see the hand of God in the tragedies of
life?
... Men and women all over the world ask themselves this question in one way or
another, and they find no explanation. There are questions to which, no matter
how much we try to respond, we are unable to find an answer. How can I see the
hand of God in a tragedy of life? There is just one answer: no, there is no
answer. There is just one route, looking at the Son of God. God delivered Him
to
us to save all of us. God Himself became a tragedy. God let Himself be
destroyed
on the cross. And when the moment comes when you do not understand, when you
are
desperate and the world seems to fall down around you, look to the Cross! There
we see God's failure, God's destruction. But there is also the challenge of our
faith. Because the story did not end with this failure: there was then the
Resurrection, which renewed us all".
"A final question ... What words do you have for young people who have not
experienced love in their own families? Is it possible to come out of this
experience? There are abandoned children everywhere: either they are abandoned
at birth, or they were abandoned by life, by the family and parents, and do not
feel the affection of the family. This is why the family is so important. ...
There is just one cure to emerge from this experience: give what you have not
received. If you have not received understanding, be understanding with others;
if you have not received love, love others; if you have felt the pain of
loneliness, draw close to those who are alone. Flesh is healed with flesh! And
God made Himself flesh to heal us. Let us too do the same towards others".
___________________________________________________________
Video message: true change begins in ourselves
Vatican City, 28 November 2015 (VIS) - "'Realities simply are, whereas ideas
are worked out. There has to be a continuous dialogue between the two, lest
ideas become detached from realities. It is dangerous to dwell in the realm of
words alone, of images and rhetoric'. To prevent the danger of living detached
from reality, it is necessary to open the eyes and the heart", says Pope
Francis
in the video message he sent yesterday afternoon to the participants in the 5th
Festival of the Social Doctrine of the Church, held in Verona from 26 to 29
November, on the theme "The challenge of reality".
"Our life is made up of many things", he continued; "a torrent of news, of
many
problems: all this leads us not to see, not to be aware of the problems of the
people who are near us. Indifference seems to be a medicine that protects us
from involvement, and becomes a way of being more relaxed. This is
indifference.
But this non-involvement is a way of defending our selfishness, and saddens us.
... The challenge of reality also requires the capacity for dialogue, to build
bridges instead of walls. This is the time for dialogue, not for the defence of
opposition and rigidity. I invite you to face 'the challenge of finding and
sharing the mystique of living together, of mingling and encounter, of
embracing
and supporting one another, of stepping into this flood tide which, while
chaotic, can become a genuine experience of fraternity, a caravan of
solidarity,
a sacred pilgrimage'".
"The challenge of reality, however, requires change. Everyone is aware of the
need for change, because we sense that something is not working. ... True
change
begins in ourselves and is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. People who experience
inner change from the Spirit lead also to social change".
The Pope goes on to mention the environmental challenge, and the need to
"listen to the cry of Mother Earth. Respect for creatures and for creation
represents a great challenge for the future of humanity. Man and creation are
inseparably linked". Francis emphasises that while we think of this theme as
being part of politics, economics and development strategy, "nothing can
substitute personal commitment. Austerity, responsible consumption, a lifestyle
that welcomes creation as a gift and excludes predatory and exclusive forms of
possession, is the concrete way of creating a new sensibility. If many of us
live like this, it will have a positive impact on society as a whole, and the
cry of the earth and the cry of the poor will become audible to all", he
concluded.
___________________________________________________________
Other Pontifical Acts
Vatican City, 28 November 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has accepted the
resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Yopougon, Cote d'Ivoire,
presented by Bishop Laurent Akran Mandjo upon reaching the age limit. He is
succeeded by Bishop Jean Salomon Lezoutie, coadjutor of the same diocese.
___________________________________________________________
For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:
www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va
Copyright (VIS): the news contained in the services of the Vatican
Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting
the source: V. I. S. - Vatican Information Service.
http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/vis/vis_en.html
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* Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)
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