This weeks Angeus address came to us from Asuncion

Pope's Angelus Address in Asuncion's Nu Guazu Field

"With Mary’s help, may the Church be a home for all, a welcoming home, a mother for all peoples."

    

Paraguay, July 12, 2015 (ZENIT.org) Staff Reporter              

 

 

Below is the Vatican-provided text of Pope Francis' address before the Angelus after the Mass he celebrated this morning in Nu Guazu field of the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion, during his Apostolic Visit to Latin America, July 5-13:
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I thank the Archbishop of Asuncion, the Most Reverend Edmundo Ponziano Valenzuela Mellid, for his kind words.
At the end of this celebration we look with trust to the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother. She is the gift that Jesus gives to his people. He gave her to us as our Mother at the hour of his cross and suffering. She is the fruit of Christ’s sacrifice for us. And from that moment, Mary has always been, and will always be, with her children, especially the poor and those most in need.
Mary has become part of the tapestry of human history, of our lands and peoples. As in so many other countries of Latin America, the faith of the Paraguayan people is imbued with love of the Virgin Mary. They approach their mother with confidence, they open their hearts and entrust to her their joys and sorrows, their aspirations and sufferings. Our Lady consoles them and with tender love fills them with hope. They never cease to turn with trust to Mary, mother of mercy for each and every one of her children.
I also ask the Blessed Mother, who persevered in prayer with the Apostles as they waited for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1,13-14), to watch over the Church and strengthen her members in fraternal love. With Mary’s help, may the Church be a home for all, a welcoming home, a mother for all peoples.
Dear brothers and sisters: I ask you please to pray also for me. I know how much the Pope is loved in Paraguay. I also keep you in my heart and I pray for you and your country.
Let us now join in praying the Angelus.

Pope Francis went to preach to the poor today, house by house

Pope Francis to poor people in Paraguay: A faith without solidarity is a dead faith

2015-07-12

During his second day in Paraguay, Pope Francis visited Bañado Norte, one of the most poor neighborhood's in the country's capital city.

Pope Francis went from house to house and spoke with people in the area. Afterward, he blessed and greeted residents and heard from them.

They explained to him that some 100,000 people live in the neighborhood.

RESIDENT

"Being expelled from the countryside to the city, the high price of land and housing in the city, coupled with low incomes that characterize our living conditions, are the reasons why we now live in the Bañado.”

They also told Pope Francis about growing social inequality in the area, and they thanked him for his visit.

RESIDENT

"We are like Lazarus. Like the lepers from the Gospel, we are not taken into account. The marshes of Asuncion, once neglected lands, are now beginning to be regarded as very desirable land. We feel that we are a nuisance for large businesses and investments and they want to move us to outside these territories.”

The Pope asked them to continue fighting and to remain unified. He explained that faith without solidarity is a dead faith.

POPE FRANCIS

"A faith which does not draw us into solidarity is a faith which is dead or a lie. 'I am very Catholic. I am very Catholic. I go to Church every Sunday.' But tell me, mister, madame, what happens in Bañado Norte? 'Oh, I don't 

know. I know that there are people there, but I don't know.' More than going to Mass on Sundays, if you do not have a heart of solidarity, if you know not know what happens to your people, your faith is weak or it is sick or it 

is dead. It is a faith without Christ. Faith without solidarity is a faith without Christ, a faith without God, a faith without fraternity.”

Afterward, they showed him the Scholas project in Paraguay. Scholas is a global network of schools that Pope Francis supports. He blessed the olive of peace, a symbol of the project, and they gave him this hat.

Before leaving, he prayed the 'Our Father' in an indigenous language and asked the neighborhood's residents to remain united.

Powerful message to the youth today from Pope Francis in Paraguay

Happiness and pleasure are not synonyms, Pope Francis reminds Paraguay's youth

 

Pope Francis speaks to representatives of Paraguayan society in Asuncion, July 11, 2015. Credit: EWTN.

Asunción, Paraguay, Jul 11, 2015 / 04:30 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Meeting Saturday afternoon with representatives of Paraguayan society, Pope Francis addressed young people in particular, telling them they must realize that happiness is a result of working to make a more fraternal world.

“Youth is a time of high ideals,” he said July 11 at Leon Condou stadium in Asuncion. “It is important that you, the young, realize that genuine happiness comes from working to make a more fraternal world!”

“It comes from realizing that happiness and pleasure are not synonymous. Happiness is demanding, it requires commitment and effort. You are too important to be satisfied with living life under a kind of anasthesia!”

While pleasure is fleeting, he said, “happiness is a dream that builds, that constructs.”

Read it all: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/happiness-and-pleasure-are-not-synonyms-pope-francis-reminds-paraguays-youth-70975/

Pope Prays Vespers in Paraguay

Pope's Homily at Vespers With Clergy and Religious in Paraguay

We are those who fight, speak up and defend the dignity of every human life, from conception to old age, when our years are many and our strength fails. Prayer is the reflection of our love for God, for others and for all creation

    

Paraguay, July 11, 2015 (ZENIT.org) Staff Reporter              

 

How good it is for all of us to pray Vespers together! How can we not dream of of a Church which reflects and echoes the harmony of voices and song in her daily life! That is what we are doing in this Cathedral, rebuilt so many times over the years. This Cathedral symbolizes the Church and each one of us. At times, storms from without and within force us to tear down what had been built and to begin again, but always with the hope given us by God. When we look at this building, we can surely say that it has not disappointed the hopes of the Paraguayan people… because God never disappoints! For this we give thankful praise.
Liturgical prayer, in its unhurried structure, is meant to be an expression of the whole Church, the Spouse of Christ, as she strives to be ever more conformed to her Lord. Each one of us, in prayer, wants to become more like Jesus.
Prayer expresses what we experience and what we ought to experience in our daily lives. At least that is true of prayer that is not self-centered or merely for show. Prayer makes us put into practice, or examine our consciences about, what we have prayed for in the Psalms. We are the hands of the God who “lifts up the poor from the dust”. We work to turn what is dry and barren into the joy of fertile ground. We cry out that “precious in the eyes of the Lord is the life of his faithful ones”. We are those who fight, speak up and defend the dignity of every human life, from conception to old age, when our years are many and our strength fails. Prayer is the reflection of our love for God, for others and for all creation. The commandment of love is the greatest way for the missionary disciple to be conformed to Jesus. Union with Jesus deepens our Christian vocation, which is concerned with what Jesus “does” – which is something much greater than mere “activities” – with becoming more like him in all that we do. The beauty of the ecclesial community is born of this union of each of her members to the person of Jesus, creating an “ensemble of vocations” in the richness of harmonic diversity.
The antiphons of the Gospel canticles for this weekend evoke for us the sending of the Twelve by Jesus. It is always good to grow in this awareness that apostolic work is carried out in communion! It is admirable to see you cooperating pastorally, with respect for the nature and ecclesial role of each of the vocations and charisms. I want to encourage all of you, priests, men and women religious, laity and seminarians, and bishops to be committed to this ecclesial collaboration, especially with regard to diocesan pastoral plans and the continental mission, and to work together with complete availability in the service of the common good. If our divisions lead to barrenness (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 98-101), then there is no doubt that communion and harmony lead to fruitfulness, because they are deeply attuned to the Holy Spirit.
Each of us has his or her limitations, and no one is able to reproduce Jesus in all his fullness. Although all vocations are associated with certain aspects of the life and work of Jesus, some are more general and essential. Just now we praised the Lord for “he did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited”. This is the case with every Christian vocation. He did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited. A person called by God does not show off; he or she does not seek recognition or applause; he or she does claim to be better than others, standing apart as if on a pedestal.
Christ’s supremacy is clearly described in the liturgy of the Letter to the Hebrews. As we just read from the final part of that Letter, we are to become perfect like “the great Shepherd of the sheep”. This means that all consecrated persons are to be conformed to Jesus, who in his earthly life, “with prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears” achieved perfection when, through suffering, he learned the meaning of obedience. This too is part of our calling.
Let us conclude our celebration of Vespers. The bell tower of this Cathedral was rebuilt a number of times. The sound of its bells anticipates and accompanies our liturgical prayer on so many occasione. Rebuilt for God whenever we pray, steadfast like a bell tower, joyful in ringing out the wonders of God, let us share the Magnificat and, through our consecrated life, allow the Lord to accomplish great things in Paraguay.

In Paraguay Pope Francis on the common good

Pope Francis in Paraguay: Church works for common good

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11/07/2015 01:30

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met with government authorities and members of the diplomatic corps in Asuncion, Paraguay, on Friday evening. The meeting took place shortly after the Holy Father’s arrival in Paraguay, on the third and final leg of a three-country tour of Latin America that previously saw him in Bolivia and Ecuador.
In remarks prepared for the occasion, Pope Francis thanked the people of Paraguay for the display of their characteristic hospitality, and praised the spirit of resilience and perseverance that informs the Paraguayan popular ethos. He had words of especial praise for the women of Paraguay. “I would also like to acknowledge with profound admiration the role played by the women of Paraguay,” throughout the nation’s history, which has been from the outset troubled by war and internal strife and instability. “As mothers, wives and widows, they shouldered the heaviest burdens; they found a way to move their families and their country forward, instilling in new generations the hope of a better tomorrow.”
The Holy Father also praised the efforts of the nation and the people to build a solid and stable democracy, and encouraged everyone to continue working to strengthen the democratic structures and institutions, so that they can respond to the legitimate aspirations of the nation’s people. “In every sector of society,” said Pope Francis, “but above all in public service, there is a need to reaffirm that dialogue is the best means of promoting the common good, on the basis of a culture of encounter, respect and acknowledgment of the legitimate differences and opinions of others.”
The Holy Father also offered assurances of the commitment and cooperation of the Catholic Church in the common effort to build a just and inclusive society where each person can live in peace and harmony. “All of us, including the Church’s pastors, are called to be concerned with building a better world (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 183),” he said. “Our sure faith in God, who willed to become man, to live among us and to share our lot, urges us to press forward.  Christ opens up to us the path of mercy, which, founded on justice, goes beyond it to inspire works of charity, so that no one will remain on the fringes of this great family which is Paraguay, a land you love and which you wish to serve.”

The Pope now moves on to Paraguay

Pope Francis arrives in Paraguay

2015-07-10

 

It was raining when the papal plane arrived in Asunción, Paraguay, but it landed without a hitch.

Music filled the tarmac as the plane pulled up, with a special song just for Pope Francis' visit.

The Pope didn't need an umbrella as he greeted Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes. Pilgrims waited for him alongside the red carpet, and he waved to them as he walked to a pair of chairs set out for him and president.

A children's chorus and military band performed  for the Pope. They were followed by another group of singing children. He also watched an elaborate traditional dance.

A video commemorating Pope John Paul II's visit to the country in 1988 was also shown. Pope Francis blessed a plaque that memorialized the last papal visit.

The Pope seemed happiest when he was surrounded by a group of small children. He had a huge smile as he hugged and blessed them.

Hopping aboard the Popemobile, Pope Francis officially began the final stop of his Latin America tour.