miniZibaldone

One need think about the entire world, need worry about Christianity in Africa and Asia, and not only busy oneself with daily occasions of disobedience and errors. . . .Only what is great, what is total, and what brings everything together can help a man put up with the humiliation of care for and attention to details. If one bears within him or herself a sense of the world, then he or she can remain in jail for his or her whole life with the fantastic serenity of a cloistered monk. Yet, if one has not within him or herself the vastness that human nature demands, then tackling the daily fatigue in the name of an energy one is supposed to possess becomes a grueling and exhausting work. —Luigi Giussani

[T] he light of faith, which is in us through Christ and the action of the Holy Spirit, we must not keep as if it were our property.  From the Angelus The mission of Christians in society is to give “flavour” to life with the faith and love that Christ has given us, and at the same time to keep away the polluting germs of egoism, of envy, of malicious gossip, and so on. These germs ruin the fabric of our communities, which instead should shine as places of hospitality, of solidarity and of reconciliation. To fulfill this mission, it is necessary first of all that we ourselves are liberated from the corrupting degeneration of worldly influences, which are contrary to Christ and the Gospel; and this purification never ends, it goes on every day!   [full text]

The character of “movement” distinguishes them in the ecclesial landscape in as much as they are powerfully dynamic realities. They are capable of provoking a particular attraction to the Gospel and offering a proposal of the Christian life which, basically global in outlook, touches every aspect of human existence. The gathering of the faithful into groups, with an intensely shared common existence in order to strengthen their life of faith, hope, and charity, expresses well the ecclesial dynamic as the mystery of communion for the sake of mission, and manifests itself as a sign of the unity of the Church in Christ.  In such a sense, these ecclesial groups arising from a shared charism tend to have as their goal “the broad apostolic purpose of the Church”. In this perspective, groups of the faithful, ecclesial movements, and new communities propose renewed forms of following Christ in which the communio cum Deo and the communio fidelium are deepened. Thus the attractiveness o...

That of the Christian in the world is a wonderful mission, is a mission for all, is a mission of service, without exception; it requires so much generosity and  especially his eyes and heart turned on high, to invoke the Lord’s help. There is so much need for Christians who testify with joy the Gospel in everyday life. From the angelus The missionaries always preach a message of salvation to all; not only the missionaries who go away, even us, Christian missionaries who say a good word for  salvation. And this is the gift that Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit. This announcement is to say: “The kingdom of God is at hand for you.” (v. 9), because Jesus has  [“approached”] God to us; God became one of us; in Jesus, God reigns in our midst, His merciful love overcomes sin and human misery....  And this is the Good News that the “laborers” should bring to everyone a message of hope and consolation, peace and charity. When Jesus sends His disciples ahead of  Him i...

T he mystique of Saints and Martyrs. And this is the generous work of ongoing formation in the mission that you have to do; which is not only an intellectual course, but inserted within this wave of missionary passion, the witness of martyrs. From the address While it is important to worry about the collection and distribution of economic aid that is diligently administered in favor of the many churches and many needy Christians, a service for which I thank you, I urge you to not just limit yourself to that. Mystique is necessary. We need to grow in evangelical passion. I fear - I confess - that your work remains very organizational, organized perfectly, but lacking passion. This it can also make an NGO, but you are not an NGO! Your Union without passion is not needed; without the "mystical" element it is not needed. And if we have to sacrifice something, let us sacrifice the organization, and move forward with the mystique of the Saints.   [full text]

I would like to say to the young men and women of nowadays who don't feel at ease – (who say) ‘But I’m not that happy with this consumerist and narcissistic culture ….’ ‘But look at the horizon! Look who’s there, look at our missionaries!’ Pray to the Holy Spirit who compels them to go far away, to consume or burn up their lives. From the homily He noted that Paul acknowledges the absolute mastery of the Spirit over his life who has always pushed him to announce the gospel despite the problems and  difficulties. I believe, the Pope said, this excerpt evokes for us the life of missionaries throughout the ages.  “They went forward compelled by the Holy Spirit: a vocation!  And when we went to the cemeteries in those places, we see their tombs: so many of them died at an  early age before they reached 40.  The reason is because they were not used to and couldn’t recover from the diseases present in those places. They gave up their  young lives: they had...

Jesus, in fact, is God’s mercy made flesh – a mercy that He expressed, realized and communicated always, in every moment of His earthly life. From the audience All four Gospels attest that, before undertaking His ministry, Jesus wished to receive Baptism from John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22;  John 1:29-34). This event imprints a decisive orientation to the whole of Christ’s mission. In fact, He did not present Himself to the world in the splendor of the  Temple: He could have done so, He did not have Himself proclaimed by fanfare: He could have done so, He did not even come in the robes of a judge: He could have done  so. Instead, after thirty years of a hidden life at Nazareth, Jesus went to the river Jordan, together with many of His people, and He put Himself in the queue with  sinners. He was not ashamed; He was there with everyone, with sinners, to be baptized. Therefore, from the beginning of His ministry, He manifested Hims...

Thomas was hard-headed. He did not believe. And he found his faith at precisely the moment he touched the wounds of the Lord. A faith that is not able to touch the  Lord’s wounds, is not faith! A faith that cannot be merciful, as the Lord’s wounds were a sign of mercy, is not faith: it is an idea, an ideology. Our faith is  incarnated in a God who was made man, who became sin, who was wounded for us.  From the Mercy Sunday vigil speech How many expressions there are, therefore, of God’s mercy! This mercy comes to us as closeness and tenderness, and because of this, comes also as compassion and  solidarity, as consolation and forgiveness. The more we receive, the more we are called to share it with others; it cannot be kept hidden or kept only for ourselves.  It is something which burns within our hearts, driving us to love, thus recognizing the face of Jesus Christ, above all in those who are most distant, weak, alone,  confused and marginalized. Me...

If our vision does not witness to having seen Jesus, then the words with which we recall him will be rhetorical and empty figures of speech. We remain in God’s presence only when we are little ones, orphans and beggars. The actors in the history of salvation are beggars. I urge you to not fall into that paralyzation of standard responses to new questions. It is important not to squander the inheritance you have received by protecting it through constant work. . From an address I ask you, therefore, to be bishops who have a pure vision, a transparent soul, and a joyful face. Do not fear transparency. The Church does not need darkness to carry out her work. Be vigilant so that your vision will not be darkened by the gloomy mist of worldliness; do not allow yourselves to be corrupted by trivial materialism or by the seductive illusion of underhanded agreements; do not place your faith in the “chariots and horses” of today’s Pharaohs, for our strength is in “the pillar of...

The concrete sign that we have truly encountered Jesus is the joy we experience in communicating it also to others. To encounter Jesus is the same as encountering His love. This love transforms us and enables us to transmit to others the strength that it gives us. In some way, we  can say that from the day of Baptism each one of us was given a new name, in addition to the one already given by our mother and father, and this name is  “Cristoforo”: we are all “Cristofori.” What does it mean? “Bearers of Christ.” [...] The mercy we receive from the Father is not given to us as a private consolation, but it makes us instruments, so that others can also receive the same gift. There is  a stupendous circularity between mercy and mission. [full text]

Pope Francis's video message to IEC Christ’s presence among us is not only a consolation, but also a promise and a summons. [...] A  summons to go forth, as missionaries, to bring the message of the Father’s tenderness, forgiveness and mercy to every man, woman and child. [...]  In Asia, where the Church is committed to respectful dialogue with the followers of other religions, this prophetic witness most often takes place, as we know,  through the dialogue of life. Through the testimony of lives transformed by God’s love, we best proclaim the Kingdom’s promise of reconciliation, justice and unity  for the human family. [...]  The Eucharist is a school of humble service. It teaches us readiness to be there for others. This too is at the heart of missionary discipleship.   [link]

From the homily of Cardinal Bo of Myanmar, papal legate, for the Opening Mass of the International Eucharistic Congress, January 24, 2016 The Eucharist and adoration is the intense faith encounter with Jesus. But this encounter needs others, the community. [...]  Adoring Jesus in the Eucharist is also accepting our fellow men and women as created in the image of God. In a world that kills children in the womb, in a world that spends more on arms than on food, in a world that continues to have millions of poor, Eucharist is a major challenge to the whole humanity. Can we feel the presence of God in our brothers and sisters? Pope John Paul talked about the culture of death. Pope Francis spoke of a culture of indifference. [...]  Christ is calling us to be disciples, to carry his cross; the Mass of the devotee ends in an hour. But the Mass of the disciple is unending. The Eucharist of the devotee is confined to the clean, decorated altars of the church. The Eucharist of the di...

From an address to seminarians and priests However, a temptation appears on the way that must be rejected: that of “normality,” of a Pastor for whom a “normal” life is enough. Thus this priest begins to be contented with some attention received, he judges the ministry on the basis of his successes and he abandons himself to research of what pleases him, becoming tepid and without a real interest in others. Instead, for us “normality” is pastoral holiness, the gift of life. If a priest chooses to be only a normal person, he will be a mediocre priest or worse. [...]  Entrusted to you during these years is the mission to train yourselves in this dialogue of life: knowledge of the various disciplines that you study is not an end in itself, but is concretized in the colloquy of prayer and in a real encounter with persons. It does no good to be formed “in watertight compartments”; prayer, education and pastoral care are bearer stones of one building. [...]  In fact, evangelizatio...

From a homily We bishops have this responsibility to be witnesses: witnesses to the fact that the Lord Jesus is alive, that the Lord Jesus is risen, that the Lord Jesus walks with  us, that the Lord Jesus saves us, that the Lord Jesus gave his life for us, that the Lord Jesus is our hope, that the Lord Jesus always welcomes us and forgives us.  Giving witness. Our life must be this: a testimony. True witness to the Resurrection of Christ. [...] The first task of a bishop is to be with Jesus in prayer. The first job of a bishop is not to prepare pastoral plans ... no, no!   Prayer: this is the first task. The second task is to be a witness, that is, to preach.   [link] From an address It is precisely because she is Mother and Teacher that the Church knows that, among Christians, some have a strong faith, formed by charity and reinforced by good  catechesis and nourished by prayer and the sacramental life, while others have a weak faith, neglected, not...

For Fr D'Ambra, the Eucharist is a spiritual force that leads us to the encounter with Muslims The PIME missionary spoke today at the symposium introducing the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu. “The point of comparison is Emmaus, where two  disciples recognised the Lord as he broke the bread, and from that, they found strength to move at night without fear.” In addition, “The challenge, in my opinion, is  to try to communicate to others what the Eucharist is, even though Muslims have a hard time understanding that." Cebu (AsiaNews) – A theological symposium titled The Eucharist in the Church's dialogue with religions and religious traditions began today in Cebu, in Central Visayas, as a prelude to the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) scheduled to take place in Cebu on 24-31 January. [link] Card Bo, Eucharistic Congress: Evangelizing via dialogue with religions, cultures, poor The Burmese cardinal and papal legate outlines the ...

From a homily Christ is the true light shining in the darkness. To the extent that the Church remains anchored in him, to the extent that she lets herself be illumined by him, she is able to bring light into the lives of individuals and peoples.  For this reason the Fathers of the Church saw in her the mysterium lunae. [...]  To proclaim the Gospel of Christ is not simply one option among many, nor is it a profession.  For the Church, to be missionary does not mean to proselytize: for the Church to be missionary means to give expression to her very nature, which is to receive God’s light and then to reflect it.  There is no other way.  Mission is her vocation. [...]  The Magi represent the men and woman throughout the world who are welcomed into the house of God.  Before Jesus, all divisions of race, language and culture disappear: in that Child, all humanity discovers its unity.  The Church has the task of seeing and showing ever more clearly ...

Hans Urs von Balthasar: His Life and Work ed David L. Schindler A Theology of History by Hans Urs von Balthasar Engagement with God by Hans Urs von Balthasar In the Fullness of Faith by Hans Urs von Balthasar Love Alone is Credible by Hans Urs von Balthasar Mysterium Paschale by Hans Urs von Balthasar Prayer by Hans Urs von Balthasar Test Everything, Hold Fast to What Is Good by Hans Urs von Balthasar The Glory of the Lord, 5: The Realm of Metaphysics in the Modern Age by Hans Urs von Balthasar The Moment of Christian Witness by Hans Urs von Balthasar The Office of Peter and the Structure of the Church by Hans Urs von Balthasar

Living the Truth in Love by +Benedict Ashley On Heaven and Earth by Jorge Mario Bergoglio Generating Traces in the History of the World by Luigi Giussani The Risk of Education by Luigi Giussani Simon, Called Peter by Mauro Lepori Temporal and Eternal  by Charles Peguy Faith Hope Love by Josef Pieper