Pope Leo XIV addresses ecumenical prayer movement; we must share the Gospel and promote peace

 

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• video message
• ecumenism
• prayer
• christians
• pentecost
• advent

Pope to ecumenical movement: We can give life to a new world of peace

On the first day of the ecumenical, global prayer movement, “Thy Kingdom Come”, Pope Leo sends a video message to participants, encouraging them in their mission of sharing the Gospel as it “is not something about which we can keep silent.”

By Kielce Gussie

Ahead of the ecumenical prayer event, “Thy Kingdom Come”, Pope Leo XIV sent a video message to all the participants, assuring them of his spiritual closeness.

The event, which takes place from May 14-24, is a prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray together from Ascension Thursday to Pentecost Sunday for more people to know Jesus.

“Thy Kingdom Come” (TKC) started in 2016 and has grown to involve more than a million Christians in almost 90% of nations around the globe, spanning 85 different denominations and traditions.

Come, Emmanuel

In his video message, the Pope reflects on the traditional phrase for the Advent season: “Come, Emmanuel.” With this, Christians call for the completion of Isaiah’s prophecy—the birth of Emmanuel, which means God is with us.

Throughout that season of waiting, Pope Leo highlights how our songs and carols grow ever more urgent for God to come down among us, to save us from sin and all that can hurt us.  He notes that we are calling for God to heal what is broken in both us individually and in the world.

“Even though we know that God is almighty and transcendent, we are still bold enough to ask him to be truly with us – not distant, but close,” the Holy Father stresses.

Yet, sometimes, he points out, we forget that we need God and how only He can “satisfy our deepest longings and our inner restlessness.” In the person of Jesus Christ, God has come down to be close to us in the flesh. Now, “through His Holy Spirit He is with us.”

We are not left orphans

During these 50 days of Easter, “Alleluia” becomes the song of the season and a way to offer praise and thanksgiving for Jesus’ resurrection. “He is still God-with-us”, Pope Leo highlights, while pointing out that even His closest friends did not always recognize Him after His resurrection.

Though Jesus returned to the Father in Heaven, “He did not leave us orphans.” Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, He remains present to us all in the Church. Christ, the Holy Father continues, “is everything for us. In Him, we find the fullness of life and its meaning.” This gift, he stresses, is not something we can keep to ourselves. Rather, “it is something to proclaim boldly.”

The “Thy Kingdom Come Novena” offers a perfect opportunity to share the Good News and pray “that others will also come to encounter the saving and liberating love of God revealed in Jesus.”

Going out to the whole world

Pope Leo concludes his video message recounting his Easter Vigil homily this year: “The encounter to which we want to bear witness – through the words of faith and the works of charity – we do so by “singing” with our lives the “Alleluia” that we proclaim with our lips (cf. Saint Augustine, Sermon 256, 1).

Like the women in the Gospel on Easter Sunday, the Holy Father notes that we should have the desire to be “set out” to bring the Gospel to people around the world. “We too can give life to a new world of peace and unity as a ‘multitude of people and yet […] a single person, for although there are many Christians, Christ is one’” (Saint Augustine, Commentaries on the Psalms, 127:3).

Before ending, the Pope invokes God’s abundant blessings on everyone.

Such important advice from Pope Leo XIV, belonging over numbers, never a waste of time to catechize

 

Pope Leo XIV greeting pilgrims in the Vatican  (@Vatican Media)

Pope

• Basilica di San Pietro
• family
• Switzerland
• evangelization
• catechesis

Pope: Sense of belonging more important than numbers of people in Church

In the January edition of the Piazza San Pietro magazine, Pope Leo XIV encourages a Swiss catechist struggling to get families involved in her parish by saying that “hours dedicated to catechesis are never wasted”.

By Vatican News

The January edition of the Italian magazine, Piazza San Pietro, is dedicated to the theme of peace and in it, Pope Leo XIV responds to Nunzia, a 50-year-old Swiss catechist who wrote him a letter detailing her struggle to get families involved in the parish. 

Families and children are increasingly difficult to reach

In her letter Nunzia - who lives in Laufenburg, a small municipality with 620 inhabitants – explains how “in Switzerland, it is difficult to get parents involved and, sometimes, even children and young people to trust in God.”

“I sow seeds, but the seedlings struggle to grow. Children and families prefer sports and parties,” she writes, adding how families are often indifferent to religious practice and Churches seem to be increasingly emptier or populated by the elderly.  

Nunzia ends her letter by asking Pope Leo XIV to pray for the young people entrusted to her care and for herself, so that she may not be discouraged.

Pope Leo’s response

In the same edition, Pope Leo acknowledges Nunzia’s concerns and places them in a wider context: “The situation in which you live is no different from that of other countries with ancient Christian traditions.”

The Pope invites us to look beyond the numbers of attendance: “The hours dedicated to catechesis are never wasted, even if there are very few participants.”

He also relaunches an ecclesial challenge: “The problem is not the numbers — which, of course, make one reflect — but the increasingly evident lack of awareness in feeling part of the Church, that is, of being living members of the Body of Christ, all with unique gifts and roles, and not merely users of the sacred, of the sacraments, perhaps out of mere habit.”

The Pope also offers an encouragement to Nunzia, and all who experience similar difficulties. “As Christians, we always need conversion. And we must seek it together,” he writes. He recalls that the true door of faith “is the Heart of Christ, always wide open.”

Pope Leo’s concluding appeal is rooted in the legacy of Paul VI: “What we can do is bear witness to the joy of Christ's Gospel, the joy of rebirth and resurrection.”

Now you know; at Mass why does the Deacon get a blessing from the Priest before proclaiming the Gospel

 

WHY DOES THE PRIEST OR BISHOP BLESS THE DEACON BEFORE HE PROCLAIMS THE GOSPEL?

______________

It’s a moment many overlook during Mass: The deacon approaches the priest or bishop and says softly,

“Your blessing, Father.”

The celebrant then prays over him, and only then does the deacon go to the altar, lift the Book of the Gospels, and head to the ambo to proclaim the Word.

But why this blessing? Is it just formality? Or is there something deeper?

Let’s unfold the meaning.

THE GOSPEL IS NOT JUST READ. IT IS PROCLAIMED.

The Gospel is the living voice of Christ, not merely words on a page.

And so, the one who proclaims it must do so not in his own power, but with the help of God’s grace.

That’s why the deacon seeks a blessing before the proclamation, not because he is unworthy, but because the task is so great:

To speak the words of Jesus Himself, To announce the Good News, To become, in that moment, the voice of the Word made flesh.

THE BLESSING IS A PRAYER OF ANOINTING

The celebrant prays:

“May the Lord be in your heart and on your lips,

that you may proclaim His Gospel worthily and well.”

It’s not just a formality, it’s a spiritual preparation.

The deacon becomes a vessel. His voice becomes a channel for divine truth. And the blessing calls down the Spirit, just like at Pentecost, to fill him with fire and clarity.

IT RECALLS THE PROPHETS OF OLD

In the Old Testament, prophets never spoke on their own. They were anointed. Sent. Often trembling.

Just like Isaiah, who said:

“Woe is me… for I am a man of unclean lips…”

And then God purified his lips with a burning coal.

So too, the deacon, before announcing the Word, receives a blessing, as if to say:

“Cleanse my lips, Lord, that I may speak only You.”

IT’S A MARK OF OBEDIENCE AND MISSION

The deacon does not speak on his own authority. He is sent by the Church.

The blessing is a sign of obedience to the bishop or priest who presides, and to the liturgy itself, a sacred structure where no one takes honor upon himself, but is called and sent.

It reminds all of us that the Gospel is not a personal opinion. It’s a message entrusted, received, and announced in faith.

So next time you see the deacon bow and ask for a blessing, remember:

He is not just reading.

He is being sent.

He is not just speaking.

He is echoing Christ.

He does not rely on himself.

He relies on the Spirit.

And we, the Church, are about to hear heaven speak.

A Gospel reflection for the Third Sunday of Lent; lessons from the fig tree

 

Sunday Gospel Reflection 

CHURCH

• liturgical year
• Gospel Commentary

Lord's Day Reflection: 'Lessons from the fig tree'

As the Church marks the Third Sunday in Lent, Fr Luke Gregory, OFM, offers his thoughts on the day's liturgical readings, reflecting on the theme, "The Call to Repentance: Lessons from the Fig Tree."

By Fr Luke Gregory, OFM

In today’s Gospel passage, we are brought face to face with the sobering reality of sin, suffering, and the urgency of repentance. The account begins with the tragic news concerning the Galileans whose blood was mingled with their sacrifices by Pilate. This event was not merely a historical occurrence; it served as a moment of introspection for those present and, by extension, for all of us who hear this Gospel.

Jesus reframes the perspective of suffering. He challenges the assumption that these Galileans suffered because they were worse sinners than others. “No,” He says, “but unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish.” This direct confrontation serves to illustrate a crucial lesson in the Christian faith: suffering is not always a direct consequence of sin, but a reminder of our need to evaluate our own lives. The mention of the eighteen who perished when the tower fell reinforces this message. Jesus emphasizes that we must be cautious in our judgments of others and instead focus on our own need for conversion and repentance.

 This call to repentance resounds in every age, warning us not to become complacent or assume that our spiritual lives are without fault. It beckons us to cultivate a heart that is responsive to God’s grace and a life that bears fruit. Jesus follows this admonition with the parable of the fig tree in the vineyard, which is a rich and poignant image. For three years, the owner of the vineyard seeks fruit from this tree and finds none. Frustrated, he considers cutting it down, presumably a figure of judgment for those who do not bear fruit in their spiritual lives. Here, we see the tension between justice and mercy, the balance of God’s expectations and His patience. The response of the vine dresser is what captures the heart of the matter. Instead of conceding to the owner’s demand for judgment, he pleads for more time, asking to dig around it and fertilize it. This act of nurturing highlights God's incredible patience and His desire for our salvation. It reveals a deeper truth: even in our barrenness, God provides opportunities for growth and renewal.

As we reflect upon this Gospel, let us consider our own lives. Are we like the fig tree, taking up space but bearing no good fruit?

The season of Lent, which is fast approaching, offers us a perfect time for introspection and conversion. It calls us to engage in acts of penance, to prune away the parts of our lives that do not bear fruit, and to nurture our relationship with God.

In concluding this reflection, let us embrace the call to repentance and the hope it carries. Each one of us has the potential to bear good fruit through the gift of the Holy Spirit. God patiently waits for us, lovingly offering His grace and the support we need to grow. We are reminded that God’s heart is ever inclined toward mercy and compassion, always seeking to bring us closer to Him, even when we stumble. Let us heed the lessons of the Gospel, turning our hearts back to Him, that we may flourish as true disciples, bearing the fruits of love, kindness, mercy, and compassion and moreover, faithfulness in this every changing world.

Pope urges Christians everywhere to share the Gospel of peace

 

File photo of Pope Francis praying the Rosary  (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)

POPE

• Pope Francis
• Italy
• prayer
• religious persecution

Pope: Christians called to share Gospel of peace, even amid persecution

Pope Francis thanks Catholics in the Italian city of Rimini for praying the Rosary in their city’s square every month, and urges Christians to spread the Gospel of peace, even when they face persecution.

By Devin Watkins

For 10 years, Catholics have gathered in the northern Italian city of Rimini on the 20th day of every month in their city’s main square to pray the Rosary for peace.

To mark that anniversary, Pope Francis sent a message, released on Friday, to the Nazarat Committee for Persecuted Christians, which organizes the monthly Rosary that has spread to many cities across the globe.

In his message, the Pope thanked the Nazarat Committee for their attention toward “brothers and sisters living in lands affected by terrible conflicts.”

“Thank you for your witness of kind charity, solidarity, and especially for your union with the suffering of populations wounded by injustice, oppression, hatred, and greed,” he said.

Good News of peace for war-torn world

Pope Francis took the occasion to encourage Christians everywhere to bear witness to the Gospel message of peace.

“Today, more than ever,” he said, “humanity needs the Good News of peace, and every Christian is called to proclaim and share it.”

He expressed his hopes that those who take part in the monthly Rosary prayer might “continue to be promoters of a culture of respect for all, of welcome, and of an inclusive fraternity where everyone can enjoy the bread of communion and the joy of solidarity.”

Pope Francis wrapped up his message with an encouragement for the 10th anniversary of Rimini’s public Rosary.

“I urge you to invoke the help of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, so that she may welcome us under her mantle and support us in times of trial,” he said. “May she kindle in our hearts the light of hope to dare for a future of serenity and harmony.”

‘Appeal to Humanity’

The Rimini Rosary initiative began in August 2014 following the expulsion of Christians from the Nineveh Plain in Iraq at the hands of the so-called Islamic State.

Entitled “Appeal to Humanity,” the prayer is offered for all persecuted people, both Christians and non-Christians.

“This prayer is the affirmation of the Lordship of Christ—who can do all things—over each of us,” reads a communiqué from the Nazarat Committee. “It is the beginning of our transformation. Prayer is the most powerful instrument for changing history.”

Over the past 10 years, the Nazarat initiative has collected tens of thousands of euros, which it has sent to assist hundreds of vulnerable families, particularly in Syria and Iraq.

On August 20, Bishop Nicolò Anselmi of Rimini will lead the 10th anniversary Rosary prayer in his city’s main square.

Pope Francis urges entrepreneurs to look to the Gospels for business guidance

 

Pope Francis with Latin American business leaders  (Vatican Media)

POPE

• POPE FRANCIS
• LATIN AMERICA
• AUDIENCES
• WORK

Pope: Entrepreneurs must build business models on culture of encounter

Pope Francis meets with members of the Latin American Business Council, and urges entrepreneurs to look to the Gospel to find hope and direction in their business endeavors.

By Devin Watkins

“Work must be founded on a culture of encounter… which encourages people to seek the common good.”

Pope Francis offered that guidance to businessmen and women from across Latin America on Thursday.

The Pope was meeting in the Vatican with participants in the annual Assembly of the Business Council of the Latin America.

Confronting common problems

In his address, the Holy Father urged entrepreneurs to build a network guided by the Gospel and founded on hope.

He noted that the annual Assembly addressed themes such as migration, climate change, and integral human development, adding that these problems can be found in all other parts of the globe.

“Your exchange of ideas can help you join forces to deal together with problems which are currently common to the entire human family,” he said.

Creating culture of encounter

Pope Francis said a business model that imbibes a culture of encounter can push aside any shadows that creep into the workplace, including an excessive drive for profit which seeks to enslave workers.

“A culture of encounter,” he noted, “expresses the search for the common good, and thus contributes to dispel shadows.”

The values of a culture that respects others, said the Pope, are then translated into countless daily sacrifices and efforts to help others grow.

He urged the Latin American entrepreneurs to offer ongoing formation and education for their workers, in order to “avoid conflicts and the pain of redundancies” since every worker represents a family with concrete financial needs.

Daily service on behalf of others

The Pope invited the businessmen and women to look to the first disciples of Jesus, who were fishermen.

He said they learned how to plough the rough seas of their own times to spread the Christian message, something from which he said modern entrepreneurs can learn.

“The service you carry out is not abstract,” he said, “but directed at every person, which makes it necessary to work together, without stepping over anyone or leaving anyone behind.”

Pope Francis said the choice to hold the Assembly in Rome offered participants the opportunity to encounter firsthand the many apostles buried in the Eternal City, including St. Peter.

“Here we encounter the tracks of the numerous disciples of the Lord of all times who transformed their surroundings in the light of the Gospel by offering their daily witness,” he said.

Guiding compass of the Gospel

In conclusion, the Pope said Christian business leaders enjoy the guiding “compass” of the Gospel and the gift of hope.

“Therefore, we are able to navigate correctly,” he said, “trusting that God will guide us and accompany us along our journey.”

Sunday reflection on today's readings, Gospel

 

The Lord's Day Reflection: ‘What’s your conversion story?’

As the Church marks the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Fr Marion Nguyen, OSB, offers his thoughts on the day’s liturgical readings under the theme: “What’s your conversion story?”

By Fr Marion Nguyen, OSB*

All the readings speak of the Holy Spirit. The first reading recounts in the Acts of the Apostles how they came to understand that the reception of the Holy Spirit is distinct from baptism and Peter and John had to come down from Jerusalem to lay hands upon the newly baptised.

In the second reading, Peter exhorts us to allow the Holy Spirit to enter and sanctify our hearts in imitation of Christ who was “put to death in the flesh, was brought to life in the Spirit.”

In the Gospel, Jesus promises the disciples the gift of the Spirit, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Sprit of truth.”

In commenting on this Gospel passage, Augustine interprets the reference to the dwelling of the Holy Spirit as none other than our conscience. Most of us who are meditating on these readings have already had the hands of the present-day apostle, our bishop, laid upon us at confirmation.

How well have we permitted the Spirit to dwell in our hearts? In what way have we put to death deeds of the flesh and brought to life works of the Spirit? What allows us to listen and put into practice the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our conscience? In other words, what’s your conversion story?

Personal encounter with God

How the Holy Spirit brings a person to conversion is different for each person, but all will have the same effects: forgiveness of sins and acceptance of the holiness of God, which is participation in divine life. (Cf. CCC 2020)

We are all familiar with Paul’s conversation in which light from heaven flashed before him, threw him to the ground and blinded him and the voice of Jesus asking, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”(Acts 9:4) This is not the only conversion story; there are others.

Saint Pachomius, the father of cenobitic monasticism, was converted by kindness.

Pachomius was conscripted into the Roman army at the age of twenty and while fighting, was captured and imprisoned. Seeing the afflictions of the captives, some citizens of that city brought food and urged them to eat. Young Pachomius was intrigued and asked his comrades, “Why are these people so good to us when they do not know us?’ They answered, ‘They are Christians, and they treat us with love for the sake of the God of heaven.’ Pachomius was moved by kindness to conversion.

Taking an unexpected turn

Brother Gregory entered the monastery right out of middle school. He desired to be a priest, but his superiors did not agree so he studied to become a teacher.

He studied while teaching for many years and obtained not only the necessary degrees, but also became an excellent teacher. Brother Gregory was talented and generous and consequently was given many responsibilities, among them are: prefect of men, full load of classes, advisor for the school newspaper and director of the theatre. He was good and effective at his work and thought that he would remain a teacher for the rest of his life.

At the end of one school year, after Brother Gregory finished inspection of the vacated dorms, he went into his cell to take a nap. His nap lasted until the next evening.

The doctor said, “You are completely exhausted, you need to take time to rest.” Brother Gregory was taken out of teaching and sent into the seminary for studies.

Once ordained, he became a pastor, formation director, sub prior, prior and eventually abbot. Brother Gregory’s exhaustion moved his life into the direction God wanted.

God leading us deeper into divine life

The Holy Spirit has been sent by Jesus into the world and blows where He wills. If we are open Him, conversion ensues.

The means of conversion are many, but the same Spirit works in each: violent intervention; kindness of a stranger; suffering and exhaustion; openness to new things; gratitude; compunction.

The variety of graces of the Holy Spirit is as numerous as the number of souls that exist.

What is your conversion story? How does the Holy Spirit continue to lead you deeper into divine life?

*Abbot of St. Martin Abbey Lacey, Washington

A reflection on the readings for this 2nd Sunday of Lent

 

CHURCH

• GOSPEL OF THE DAY
• GOSPEL COMMENTARY
• GOSPEL

The Lord's Day Reflection: 'Lenten journey toward renewal'

As the Church marks the Second Sunday of Lent, Fr Edmund Power, OSB, offers his thoughts on the day’s liturgical readings under the theme: “The Lord's Day Reflection: 'Lenten journey up the mountain of renewal”.

By Fr Edmund Power, OSB

Behind the journey of Lent lies the Exodus experience of the people of Israel on their difficult but purifying passage from slavery to freedom.

In this Sunday of the Transfiguration, the Genesis reading invites us to consider another journey: the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you”.

A God hitherto unknown, bids him to leave everything he knew to find a new life.

So, the voice of Lent, a word that originally meant “springtime”, calls us to a renewal of life.

This renewal will require commitment and maybe suffering on our part: the poet T. S. Eliot reminds us that “April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land.”

Set apart, in the light

Between two predictions of the Passion, Jesus leads His closest disciples up Mount Tabor: they must understand the inseparable unity of passion, death and resurrection.

Four phrases from Matthew’s version of the Transfiguration are particularly suggestive.

The first is led them up a high mountain apart. Why apart? Perhaps because all of us need moments of solitude and detachment that enable us to listen and see with greater clarity the presence of the Lord in our midst.

The second is a bright cloud overshadowed them. Matthew alone specifies that the cloud was bright. Brightness and shadow come together in this ambiguous phrase. At his conversion, Paul saw a light so bright that he was cast into darkness. There will certainly be moments of darkness in our life and Lenten journeys: such moments test us and may serve to deepen our desire for the true light. In John’s Gospel, Jesus is the light of the world, nevertheless, both light and darkness, bless the Lord.

Fearless listening

The third phrase is listen to him! The voice of the Father addresses the disciples, proclaiming the identity of Jesus and issuing this command. The words chime in harmony with the voice of the psalmist in the invitatory psalm 94/5 with which the Divine Office begins every day: O that today you would listen to his voice! This admonition is set in the context of the Exodus and the hard hearts of those who did not listen well. Now we on our Lenten way can learn from their mistakes and intensify our attention to what really matters.

Our fourth phrase is the only thing that Jesus says to them before they start their bewildered descent of the mountain: Rise, and have no fear. This is an invitation to wakefulness and to hope.

So, we too continue our courageous Lenten journey, lit up by the hope of glory and realistically intrepid in the disciplines and trials required of us.