"In history the violence of the arrogant takes its toll, but God does not leave us” moritisintellectualworld.blogspot.com

“In history the violence of the arrogant takes its toll, but God does not leave us”
Francis is the first pope to pray the Angelus of the Assumption in St. Peter's Square. “Life is not a wandering without direction, but a pilgrimage with a safe destination: the Father’s house”
Saturday 15 August 2015

Today, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, Pope Francis appeared at the window of the Apostolic Palace on St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus: it is the first time that this Marian prayer, on the day of Ferragosto, is being recited by the Pope in the Vatican and not at Castel Gandolfo, as was tradition. The first time since 1954, when “right at  the Feast of the Assumption, in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Pius XII prayed for the first time the Marian antiphon that then, in the fall, was resumed definitively and permanently,” as noted by “Il Sismografo.” Before the Angelus, Jorge Mario Bergoglio said that “in history the violence of the arrogant, the pride of the rich, and the arrogance of the proud all take their toll” quoting the words of the Magnificat; “But Mary believes and proclaims that God does not abandon his children, the humble and poor, but helps them with compassionate care, toppling the mighty from their thrones.” Francis also said that “our life, seen in the light of Mary assumed into Heaven, is not a wandering without direction, but it is a pilgrimage which, with all its uncertainties and sufferings, has a safe destination: the home of our Father, waiting for us with love.” After the prayer he dedicated a thought “to the population of the city of Tianjin,” in China: “I assure you of my prayers for those who died and for all those who are suffering from this evil; the Lord will give relief to them and support to those engaged in alleviating their suffering.”

The Pope began: “Dear brothers and sisters, good morning. Happy Feast of the Madonna. Today the Church celebrates one of the most important festivals dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the feast of her Assumption. At the end of her earthly life, the Mother of Christ rose in body and soul to heaven, that is, into the glory of eternal life, in full communion with God.” The page of the Gospel “presents Mary who, immediately after conceiving Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, went to see her cousin Elizabeth, who was also miraculously waiting for a son. In this meeting full of the Holy Spirit, Mary expresses her joy with the canticle of the Magnificat, because she fully realized the significance of the great things that are taking place in her life: through her, all the waiting of her people came to fulfillment.”

Francis goes on to underline that “the Gospel also shows us what the true motive is for the greatness of Mary and her bliss: the motive is faith. Indeed Elizabeth greets her with these words: ‘Blessed is she who believed in the fulfillment of what the Lord has told you.’”

In fact, faith is “the heart of the whole story of Mary, She is the believer, the great believer; she knows - and says - that in history the violence of the arrogant, the pride of the rich, the arrogance of the proud take their toll. However, Mary believes and proclaims that God does not abandon his children, the humble and poor, but helps them with mercy and kindness, toppling the mighty from their thrones, scattering the proud in the plots of their hearts. This is the faith of our Mother, this is the faith of Mary!”

The Magnificat allows us “to grasp the full meaning of the story of Mary: if the mercy of the Lord is the driving force of the story, then she could not ‘know the corruption of the tomb, she who bore the Lord of life.’” All this is not just about Mary. The “great things” done by the Almighty in her touch us deeply, speaking to us of our journey through life, reminding us of the destination that awaits us: the Father's house.”

Here it is that “our life, seen in the light of Mary assumed into Heaven, is not a wandering without direction, but it is a pilgrimage that, even with all its uncertainties and sufferings, has a safe destination: the house of our Father, who is waiting for us with love. It is nice to think that we have a Father who awaits us with love and a Mother who waits for us up there, in heaven.”

The Pontiff added: “Today all of us together pray to her, because while winding our way on this earth, she turns to us her merciful eyes, she is clears the way, shows us the goal, and after this our exile shows us Jesus, the blessed fruit of her womb. Let us say together: O mild, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!”

After the Angelus, Pope Bergoglio invited pilgrims to pay a visit to the icon of Our Lady Salus populi Romani (Protectress of the Roman people) in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, saying: “How nice it would be if today you decide to go see the Madonna in her feast day.”

Finally, he thanked everyone “for coming and I wish you a happy feast. Please do not forget to pray for me. Have a good lunch and goodbye.”
In the morning he tweeted: “The life of Mary shows that God does great works through the most humble.”

War is never good!

“The horrors of Hiroshima are a permanent warning against war”
The Pope at the Angelus, 70 years after the atomic attacks in Japan: with violence “we always lose”; “from all lands may one voice rise up: yes to dialogue and to peace!”
Domenico Agasso jr
Sunday 09 August 2015
 
“Seventy years ago, on the 6th and the 9th of August 1945, the terrible atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki took place.  Even after so many years, this tragic event still arouses horror and repulsion. This (event) has become the symbol of mankind’s enormous destructive power when it makes a distorted use of scientific and technical progress and serves as a lasting warning to humanity so that it rejects forever war and bans nuclear weapons and all arms of mass destruction.” Pope Francis’ remarks followed the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, where crowds applauded him as he noted that “Above all, this sad anniversary urges us to pray and strive for peace, to spread brotherhood throughout the world and a climate of peaceful coexistence between peoples.” Here then is the appeal of the Pontiff: “May one cry rise up from every land, ‘No’ to war and violence and ‘Yes’ to dialogue and to peace!” “With war one always loses,” he chanted, “the only way to win a war is never to wage it.”
Before the Angelus, Pope Bergoglio commenced with a reflection on “the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, where Jesus, having accomplished the great miracle of the loaves, explains to the people the meaning of the ‘sign.’ As he had done earlier with the Samaritan woman, starting from the experience of thirst and the sign of the water, Jesus here starts with the experience of hunger and the sign of bread, to reveal Himself and as an invitation to believe in Him.”
Francis continued: “People look for him, people listen to him, because they were enthusiastic about the miracle - they wanted to make him king; but when Jesus said that the true bread, given by God, is himself, many were shocked, and began to murmur among themselves: ‘Of him - they said - do we not know his father and mother? How then can he say, 'I came down from heaven?’ They begin to murmur. Jesus replied, ‘No man can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me,’ and added: ‘He who believes has eternal life.’”
The Pope observed that “this astonishes us, and makes us reflect on the word of the Lord. It introduces the dynamic of faith, which is a relationship: the relationship between human beings - all of us - and the Person of Jesus, where the Father plays a decisive role, and of course the Holy Spirit - who remains implied here.” But it’s not enough “to meet Jesus to believe in Him, it’s not enough to read the Bible, the Gospel; it’s important, but it’s not even enough to witness a miracle… Many people were in close contact with Jesus and they did not believe in him and actually even despised and condemned him.”
The Pontiff went on to wonder: “Why? This happened because their hearts were closed to the work of the Holy Spirit. And if you have a closed heart, faith does not enter. Instead, faith, which is like a seed in the depths of our heart, blooms when we allow ourselves to be drawn by God towards Jesus, and we go to Him with an open mind and with no prejudices; then we see in his face the Face of God and in his words the Word of God, because the Holy Spirit has made us enter into the relationship of love and life that exists between Jesus and God the Father.”
Here it is that “then, with this attitude of faith, we can understand the meaning of ‘the Bread of life’ that Jesus gives us, and that He expresses like this: ‘I am the living bread come down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.’ In Jesus, in his ‘flesh’ - that is, in his concrete humanity - all the love of God is present, which is the Holy Spirit. Those who let themselves be attracted by this love go to Jesus in faith, and receive from Him life, eternal life.”
The Pope added: “She who has lived this experience in an exemplary way is Mary, the Virgin of Nazareth: the first human being who believed in God by welcoming the flesh of Jesus. Let us learn from Her, our Mother, the joy and gratitude for the gift of faith. A gift that is not “private,” it is not private property, but to share: it is ‘for the life of the world.’”  
After the recitation of the midday Angelus Francis also said “I am following with deep concern the news coming from El Salvador where recently the suffering of the population has worsened owing to the famine, the economic crisis, social clashes and growing violence. I encourage the beloved people of El Salvador to persevere united in hope and urge everybody to pray in order that justice and peace can flower ago in the land of the Blessed Oscar Romero.”
Finally, there was the wish of the Pope for all to “Have a good Sunday. And please, do not forget to pray for me! Have a good lunch and goodbye!”
 

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