“The Lord Jesus is so good that he never tires of forgiving me. Remember that! Baptism opens the doors of the church. Look up the date of your baptism. But also, when the door starts closing a bit because of our weakness and sins, confession reopens it.”
“Let’s go forward joyfully, OK? Because life must be lived with the joy of Jesus Christ,” he said. “This is a grace from the Lord.”
Last Wednesday, April 24, the people of Beit Jala (Bethlehem) – and the few people in the rest of the world who are paying attention – heard the decision of an Israeli Appeal’s Committee that “the Wall” can be built right through another section of Palestinian land: their Cremisan Valley.
Today, April 28, is Palm Sunday in Beit Jala. They begin Holy Week, and will celebrate Easter with the Orthodox Christians on May 5.
This coming week Pope Francis will meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres, who was invited by the Holy Father for a visit to the Vatican, among the first of the world leaders who will meet with the new Pope.
This all comes together in these photos, taken today in Beit Jala. The people of Annunciation Catholic parish gathered today, on Palm Sunday, outside their church after Sunday Mass to sign letters to Pope Francis, pleading with him to keep Cremisan high on his agenda when he meets with the Israeli president.
You might find this April 24 article in the Washington Post, “Palestinian Christians hope new pope will help in battle against Israel’s barrier route,” helpful for understanding the present state of the situation.
Pope Francis just doesn’t seem to understand that some things can’t be done.
When a couple asked the Pope to try on their gift, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Archbishop of Washington, politely said, “No, no, he can’t do that.” But the Pope did try it on, and kept it on. He decided to give his ‘old’ hat to the couple.
Pope gives his papal hat to and American Couple.
Way of the Cross at the Coliseum, Stations of the Cross led by the Holy Father, Pope Francis, on Good Friday: The Passion of the Lord Meditations by Lebanese young people under the guidance of His Eminent Beatitude Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï.
[Whenever I pray the 5th station, I think of our suffering brother and sister Palestinians in Beit Jala. I like to think that, in some small way that might help them to keep hope, we help them carry their cross.]
V Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the Cross
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 23:26
As they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the Cross, to carry it behind Jesus.
Jesus’ meeting with Simon of Cyrene took place in silence, providing us with a lesson for our lives: God does not want suffering and he does not accept evil. The same is true of the human being. But suffering, accepted in faith, is transformed into a path of salvation. Then we accept it as Jesus did, and we help to carry it as Simon of Cyrene did.
Lord Jesus,
you have involved man in the carrying of your Cross.
You have invited us to share your sufferings.
Simon of Cyrene is like us
and he teaches us to accept the Cross
that we encounter on the paths of life.
Following your example, Lord,
we too carry the Cross
of suffering and illness today,
but we accept it because you are with us.
It can nail us to our chair,
but it cannot prevent us from dreaming;
it can obscure our vision,
but it cannot touch our conscience;
it can deafen our ears,
but it cannot prevent us from listening;
it can bind our tongue
but it cannot suppress our thirst for truth;
it can weigh down our spirit,
but it cannot rob us of our freedom.
Lord,
we want to be your disciples
so as to carry your Cross every day;
we will carry it with joy and hope
because you are carrying it with us,
because you have triumphed over death for us.
We give you thanks, Lord,
for every sick or ailing person
who knows how to bear witness to your love,
and for every “Simon of Cyrene”
whom you place on our journey.
Amen.
During the evening Mass at a prison for minors in Rome, Pope Francis washed the feet of 12 young people of different nationalities and faiths, including at least two Muslims and two women, who are housed at the juvenile detention facility.
“I am at your service,” the pope said.
The pope greeted the residents with hugs and gave each of the young detainees a large chocolate egg and a traditional Italian Easter cake shaped like a dove.
The detainees, who range in age from 14 to 21, then gave the pope a wooden crucifix and kneeler they made in the detention center’s woodshop.
After he was greeted by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians, Pope Francis thanked him for his remarks, referring to him as “my brother Andrew.”
This was significant because Andrew is the patron saint of Constantinople and Peter is the patron saint of Rome; the two represent two ancient churches who are trying to retrieve the fraternal relationship that the two brother apostles had. Andrew and Peter were brothers. Andrew is the “first one to be called” and Peter is the “first one among the apostles”.
Historically, this was most probably the first time ever that an ecumenical patriarch was present at the inaugural Mass of a pope.
Locally, this is a reference to “my” Andrew, “our” Andrew, St. Andrew, the patron of my parish, our parish.
Pope Francis @Pontifex
17 March
Dear friends, I thank you from my heart and I ask you to continue to pray for me. Pope Francis.
Pope Francis @ Pontifex
19 March
Let us keep a place for Christ in our lives, let us care for one another and let us be loving custodians of creation.
Pope Francis @ Pontifex
19 March
True power is service. The Pope must serve all people, especially the poor, the weak, the vulnerable.
Pope Francis seems to like a good laugh and seems to like getting other people to laugh.
Don’t you wonder what they were really saying to each other?
You’re good! Real good!
Let us pray for government leaders.
May almighty God, by his wisdom, enlighten their minds and lead them to help build the civilization of love.
We pray to the Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.
When we journey without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, when we profess Christ without the Cross, we are not disciples of the Lord, we are worldly: we may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, but not disciples of the Lord.
Be merciful to souls who come to you. They need you. Mercy, mercy, mercy.
Let us never yield to pessimism, to that bitterness that the devil offers us every day; let us not yield to pessimism or discouragement: let us be quite certain that the Holy Spirit bestows upon the Church, with his powerful breath, the courage to persevere and also to seek new methods of evangelization, so as to bring to Gospel to the uttermost ends of the earth.
At your disposal you have the means to hear and to give voice to people’s expectations and demands, and to provide for an analysis and interpretation of current events. Your work calls for careful preparation, sensitivity and experience, like so many other professions, but it also demands a particular concern for what is true, good and beautiful. This is something which we have in common, since the Church exists to communicate precisely this: Truth, Goodness and Beauty “in person.” It should be apparent that all of us are called not to communicate ourselves, but this existential triad made up of truth, beauty and goodness.
We ask for the grace of never tiring of asking pardon, for He never tires of pardoning.
Let us not forget this word: God never tires of forgiving us, but we sometimes tire of asking Him to forgive us. Let us never tire of asking.
We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness! Here I would add one more thing: caring, protecting, demands goodness, it calls for a certain tenderness. In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!
In order: to the Cardinals Electors; to the Confessors in St. Mary Major Basilica; to the College of Cardinals; to 5,000 journalists and media; to the parishioners of the parish of St. Anna in the Vatican; to the crowds at the Angelus; at the Mass for the Beginning of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome
With Open Doors 