org. Every part of the Church, and many others outside of her – believers or non-believers – have received Pope Francis` clear and hope-filled words. They are also words that motivate us to assume the responsibility we all have to build a world in accordance to the Will of God, in the strength of the Spirit and through the way of Christ. Cardinals and bishops, priests, men and women religious, novices and seminarians, families, the youth and elderly, communities and institutes have received this challenge to go out “onto the street” to take – not a utopian hope – but concrete deeds in living evangelization projects to all men and women wherever they may be. And if they are on the “outskirts” then we have to go there, with all the risks and dangers it may include. He repeats to us constantly: I prefer an injured church, because she goes out to serve, to a Church that is sick because of her self-absorption. Testimony to this can be found in the section of Schoenstatt.org where on a weekly basis texts are selected which motivate us on our own pilgrimage toward the 2014 Jubilee. Undoubtedly, because we are the Church, these words are also directed to us. How happy must our Father not be with this missionary impetus which is given to us from the very heart of the Church! (Fr. José María García)
WEEK 9/2014
“Our Lady is always close to us, especially when we feel the weight of life with all its problems.”
Tweet from 24.02.2014
Jesus asks those who would follow him to love those who do not deserve it, without expecting anything in return, and in this way to fill the emptiness present in human hearts, relationships, families, communities and in the entire world. My brother Cardinals, Jesus did not come to teach us good manners, how to behave well at the table! To do that, he would not have had to come down from heaven and die on the Cross. Christ came to save us, to show us the way, the only way out of the quicksand of sin, and this way of holiness is mercy, that mercy which he has shown, and daily continues to show, to us. To be a saint is not a luxury. It is necessary for the salvation of the world. This is what the Lord is asking of us.
Holy Mass with the new Cardinals, 23.02.2014
We love, therefore, those who are hostile to us; we bless those who speak ill of us; we greet with a smile those who may not deserve it. We do not aim to assert ourselves; we oppose arrogance with meekness; we forget the humiliations that we have endured. May we always allow ourselves to be guided by the Spirit of Christ, who sacrificed himself on the Cross so that we could be “channels” through which his charity might flow. This is the attitude of a Cardinal, this must be how he acts. A Cardinal – I say this especially to you – enters the Church of Rome, my brothers, not a royal court. May all of us avoid, and help others to avoid, habits and ways of acting typical of a court: intrigue, gossip, cliques, favoritism and partiality. May our language be that of the Gospel: “yes when we mean yes; no when we mean no”; may our attitudes be those of the Beatitudes, and our way be that of holiness. Let pray once more: “Merciful Father, by your help, may we be ever attentive to the voice of the Spirit.”
Holy Mass with the new Cardinals, 23.02.2014
This first question to Peter: “Who is Jesus for you?” can only be understood within the context of a journey, after a long journey filled with grace and sin, the journey of a disciple. Jesus did not tell Peter and his Apostles: “Know me!” He said: “Follow me!” It is by following Jesus that we learn to know Jesus. Following Jesus with our virtues, but also with our sins, but always following Jesus. What is necessary is not a study of notions, but the life of a disciple. What is needed is a daily encounter with the Lord, every day, with our victories and our weaknesses. But it is also a journey that we cannot undertake alone. We need the intervention of the Holy Spirit. Knowing Jesus is a gift of the Father, He is the one who allows us to know Jesus; it is the work of the Holy Spirit, who is a great worker. He is not a union organizer, he is a great worker and he is always at work in us. His work is to explain the mystery of Jesus, to give us the mind of Christ. We look at Jesus, at Peter, at the Apostles and we feel this question in our hearts: “Who am I for you?” And as disciples, we ask the Father to give us the knowledge of Christ and let us ask the Holy Spirit to explain this mystery to us.
Santa Marta, 20.02.2014
We cannot be Christians who think of faith as a system of ideas, as an ideology: this also existed at the time of Jesus. The apostle John said that the ideologues of the faith are the antichrist, regardless of which creed they follow. In those times there were gnostics, but they were many…and so, those who fall into sophistry or ideology are Christians who know the doctrine but do not have faith, like demons. The only difference is demons tremble with fear, but they do not: they live peacefully (…) On the other hand, in the Gospel there are also examples of people who do not know the doctrines but have great faith…The Samaritan woman opens her heart not because she has found abstract truths but because she found Jesus Christ. Similarly, the blind man whom Jesus healed and was questioned by the Pharisees and doctors of the law for this, simply falls to his knees and adores the one who healed him. Faith always leads to witness. This is what the apostle means: faith without works, a faith that does not involve you, a faith that does not lead you to bear witness is not faith. They are words and nothing but words.
Santa Marta, 21.02.2014
And Jesus’ deeply tender gestures enable us to understand this: that our doctrine, let us put it this way, or the way in which we follow Christ is not an idea, it is a continual abiding at home. And it is possible and a reality that each of us leaves home because of sin, a mistake – God knows it, salvation comes in returning home, with Jesus in the Church. These are gestures of tenderness. One by one, the Lord calls us, into his people, into his family, our Mother, the Holy Church. Let us think of Jesus’ gestures.
Santa Marta, 24.02.2014
The vocation of the Church, or the cardinals or the Pope is precisely this: to be servants, to serve in the name of Christ. Pray for us, that we can all be good servants. Good servants, not good masters. Together, the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and the lay faithful must offer the witness of a Church that is faithful to Christ, encouraged by the desire to serve one another andbe ready to meet the spiritual expectations and needs of the men and women of our times with prophetic courage. The Blessed Mother accompanies us and protects us on this journey.
Angelus, 23.02.2014
See all texts in “Francis for the Pilgrims 2014”
Message for World Youth Day 2014
The aim of the pilgrimage
is the renewal of the covenant of love
as a missionary and unifying creative force,
i.e. internally the renewal of the Schoenstatt Family
and externally the shaping of covenant culture.
