Pope Francis releases a dove after praying for the victims of war in Mosul, Iraq, March 7, 2021. Photo credits: Vatican Media. / null
Vatican City, Feb 4, 2022 / 06:10 am (CNA).
Pope Francis on Friday encouraged people of all religious faiths to combat the world’s darkness and conflict with signs of fraternity.
“Let us counter the many threatening signs, times of darkness, and mindsets of conflict with the sign of fraternity that, in accepting others and respecting their identity, invites them to a shared journey,” the pope said on Feb. 4.
The pope’s video message was sent to mark the third anniversary of the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,” which Francis signed with Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of al-Azhar, during an interreligious meeting in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 4, 2019.
U.S. President Joe Biden marked the day with a letter urging open-mindedness, cooperation, empathy, dialogue, and tolerance in response to today’s challenges.
“In my own life, faith has always been a beacon of hope and a calling to purpose even during the darkest of days,” Biden wrote.
“Sacred teachings across faith traditions command that we love one another, serve and protect the most vulnerable, and uphold the dignity of every person, which is what the International Day of Human Fraternity is all about.”
Pope Francis said: “Fraternity is one of the fundamental and universal values that ought to undergird relationships between peoples, so that the suffering or disadvantaged do not feel excluded and forgotten, but accepted and supported as part of the one human family.”
“We all live under the same heaven and, in the name of God, we who are his creatures must acknowledge that we are brothers and sisters. As believers from different religious traditions, we have a role to play,” he said.
“What is that role? To help our brothers and sisters raise their eyes and their prayers to heaven.”
He added: “Let us raise our eyes to heaven, because whoever worships God with a sincere heart also loves his or her neighbor. Fraternity makes us open to the Father of all and enables us to see others as our brothers or sisters, to share life, to support one another, and to love and come to know others.”
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CNA Staff, Apr 7, 2021 / 04:00 am America/Denver (CNA). Pope Francis said on Wednesday that the communion of saints means that Christians are never alone in the darkest moments of their lives. Speaking at […]
Pope Francis celebrates Christmas Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 24, 2020. / Vatican Media.
Greccio, Italy, Dec 17, 2021 / 04:00 am (CNA).
In 2019, Pope Francis issued an apostolic letter on the meaning and importance of the Christmas nativity scene. He signed the document, Admirabile signum (“Enchanting image”), on Dec. 1 that year, at the Shrine of the Nativity in Greccio, a hilltown in the Italian region of Lazio.
The choice of Greccio was significant, because it was there in 1223 that St. Francis of Assisi created history’s first nativity scene.
In the apostolic letter, widely regarded as one of the most moving documents of Francis’ pontificate, the pope sets out “to encourage the beautiful family tradition of preparing the nativity scene in the days before Christmas.”
Here are 10 things that Pope Francis wants us to learn from the nativity scene, drawn from Admirabile signum.
1.The nativity scene is like a living Gospel. The depiction of Jesus’ birth is “a simple and joyful proclamation of the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God,” the pope writes. The nativity scene invites everyone who contemplates it “on a spiritual journey, drawn by the humility of the God who became man in order to encounter every man and woman.”
The Vatican Nativity scene. Agencia Andina
2. The custom is rooted in the Bible. The pope underlines that the nativity scene rises from “the pages of sacred Scripture.” St. Luke’s Gospel says that Mary “gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (2:7). The manger is the focus of nativity scenes. Indeed, the Italian word for nativity scene is “presepe,” from the Latin word “praesepium,” meaning “manger.”
Pope Francis visits the site of the first nativity scene in Greccio, Italy, on Jan. 4, 2015. Vatican Media.
3.The tradition was born in an unassuming Italian town. St. Francis of Assisi stopped in Greccio in November 1223, probably on his way back from Rome after receiving papal approval for the Rule of his religious order. Fifteen days before Christmas, he asked a local man named John to help him “bring to life the memory of that babe born in Bethlehem, to see as much as possible with my own bodily eyes the discomfort of his infant needs, how he lay in a manger, and how, with an ox and an ass standing by, he was laid upon a bed of hay.” On Christmas Day, St. Francis was joined by his friars and people from the surrounding area before a manger full of hay, watched over an ox and a donkey.
Pope Francis blesses nativity scenes near the Vatican Dec. 9, 2019. .
4.The first nativity scene was connected to the Eucharist. Describing the scene in Greccio that day, Pope Francis writes: “All those present experienced a new and indescribable joy in the presence of the Christmas scene. The priest then solemnly celebrated the Eucharist over the manger, showing the bond between the Incarnation of the Son of God and the Eucharist.” Unlike in nativity scenes today, the pope says, there were no statues. Instead, “the nativity scene was enacted and experienced by all who were present.”
Nativity scene. . Ben White Photography via Unsplash.com.
5.The original nativity scene inspired a vision. The pope recalls that one of the witnesses to the first nativity scene saw “a marvelous vision.” Thomas of Celano, the first biographer of St. Francis, wrote that “one of those present saw the Baby Jesus himself lying in the manger.”
. fotorutkowscy / Shutterstock.
6.The nativity scene is a means of evangelization. The pope says that by creating the nativity scene, St. Francis “carried out a great work of evangelization” that continues to touch hearts to this day. The saint had discovered “a simple yet authentic means of portraying the beauty of our faith” that was accessible to all.
Pope Francis incenses the nativity scene in St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 24, 2017. . Vatican Media.
7.The manger is a sign of God’s love. Pope Francis writes that nativity scenes resonate so deeply because they show God’s tender love. They proclaim that “the Creator of the universe lowered himself to take up our littleness.” They engage the senses and imagination, helping people “to ‘feel’ and ‘touch’ the poverty that God’s Son took upon himself in the Incarnation.”
A detail from the monumental Nativity scene of the Castelli. . YouTube.
8.The nativity scene contains a call to service. The pope says that the Christmas crib contains an implicit message. “It summons us to follow him along the path of humility, poverty, and self-denial that leads from the manger of Bethlehem to the cross,” he writes. “It asks us to meet him and serve him by showing mercy to those of our brothers and sisters in greatest need.”
The Nativity, by Rogier van der Weyden, part of the Bladelin Altarpiece. Public Domain.
9.Even a nativity scene’s landscapes are meaningful. The pope notes that depictions of the Nativity often include “the ruins of ancient houses or buildings.” He writes: “More than anything, the ruins are the visible sign of fallen humanity, of everything that inevitably falls into ruin, decays, and disappoints. This scenic setting tells us that Jesus is newness in the midst of an aging world, that he has come to heal and rebuild, to restore the world and our lives to their original splendor.”
Courtney Mares.
10.Nativity scenes nourish devotion to Mary and Joseph. The pope observes that the Virgin Mary is shown as “a mother who contemplates her child and shows him to every visitor.” In her, “we see the Mother of God who does not keep her Son only to herself, but invites everyone to obey his word and to put it into practice.” St. Joseph stands at Mary’s side, protecting her and the Christ Child. The nativity scene reminds us that Joseph “entrusted himself always to God’s will, and put it into practice,” encouraging us to do the same.
Texans on June 5, 2022, visit the memorial at Robb Elementary School dedicated to the victims of the May shooting in Uvalde, Texas. / Shutterstock
San Antonio, Texas, Jun 8, 2022 / 16:00 pm (CNA).
What caused the massacre at an elementary schoo… […]
5 Comments
The Sermon on the Mount was a message to mankind. Most of the people in that crowd would have been Jews. Though some might have been people from other groups and religions. There were no baptized Christians there but the teaching applies to all of us.
Then why do you suppose Francis is so hostile to the moral particulars of the Sermon on the Mount and so consistently insulting towards those who affirm them?
The only thoughts left-wingers have to offer humanity are cheap sentimentalities that avoid the sort of honest specifics that might require that they come to terms with their very real crimes against humanity when they seek to actually define and implement policies of impoverishing and murdering tyrannical governance “for the people.”
What you say applies equally to left-wingers and the right-wingers. Both groups seek to implement evil policies to which you refer. Your ignorance or sheer hatred of Pope Francis is once again on display.
Following the Napoleonic Wars, and reflecting on the edifice of Prince Metternich (and of all modern politics), the scholar and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger wrote:
“[it] was the redefinition of the classic theological version of humility, ‘Thy will be done,’ with reason taking the place of God. It represented an effort to deal with the most fundamental problem of politics, which is NOT the control of wickedness but the limitation of righteousness . . . that order once shattered can be restored only by the experience of chaos.”
Pope St. John Paul II said something similar, counseling that the positive Sermon on the Mount does NOT replace prohibitions and the Commandments:
“…the commandment of love of God and neighbor does not have in its dynamic any higher limit, but it does have a lower limit, beneath which the commandment is broken” (Veritatis Splendor, 1993, n. 52).
This complete picture questions the premise, to what extend do we really worship the same God? Yes, universal human nature is not totally depraved and, yes, the working of grace is a mystery fully known but to God. So, an appeal to “fraternity” is not to be rejected, but as a possible ideology, it also and truly is not enough.
Teaching ambiguity or lacking charity for the word of God suggests a misunderstanding of Scripture and a rejection of the Holy Spirit’s lights. From Scripture, we infer that God favors certain men. Men of today do well to conform our minds to God’s.
1)Cain and Abel were brothers. God accepted Abel’s sacrifice but rejected Cain’s.
2) Joseph’s many brothers hated Joseph because their father favored him.
3) Solomon’s lust overruled his wisdom when he allowed his wives to have altars built in Jerusalem for worship of pagan gods. Solomon then lost God’s favor. (1 Kings 11:7–8).
Many other scripture stories reveal the truth that God favors those who obey and please Him. The first three of the Ten Commandments address man’s obligation to God; only then are obligations to man commanded.
Jesus also taught the first and greatest commandment as love of God. Only then did He teach that the second commandment was ‘like’ the first. He did not say the next ‘equaled’ the first.
Jesus spoke of obedience to God’s commandments many times, asserting obedience as synonymous with love of God. Obedient love of God is man’s first priority. Love of fellow men should be ordered to love of God. We who have been gifted understanding and prudence know that justice and charity are due first to God, next to fellow believers, and last to those who reject, deny, persecute, and act to demonstrate hate for God and his followers.
Teaching ambiguity and lacking charity for the word of God suggests a misunderstanding of Scripture and a rejection of light the Holy Spirit yearns to give.
The Sermon on the Mount was a message to mankind. Most of the people in that crowd would have been Jews. Though some might have been people from other groups and religions. There were no baptized Christians there but the teaching applies to all of us.
Then why do you suppose Francis is so hostile to the moral particulars of the Sermon on the Mount and so consistently insulting towards those who affirm them?
The only thoughts left-wingers have to offer humanity are cheap sentimentalities that avoid the sort of honest specifics that might require that they come to terms with their very real crimes against humanity when they seek to actually define and implement policies of impoverishing and murdering tyrannical governance “for the people.”
What you say applies equally to left-wingers and the right-wingers. Both groups seek to implement evil policies to which you refer. Your ignorance or sheer hatred of Pope Francis is once again on display.
Following the Napoleonic Wars, and reflecting on the edifice of Prince Metternich (and of all modern politics), the scholar and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger wrote:
“[it] was the redefinition of the classic theological version of humility, ‘Thy will be done,’ with reason taking the place of God. It represented an effort to deal with the most fundamental problem of politics, which is NOT the control of wickedness but the limitation of righteousness . . . that order once shattered can be restored only by the experience of chaos.”
Pope St. John Paul II said something similar, counseling that the positive Sermon on the Mount does NOT replace prohibitions and the Commandments:
“…the commandment of love of God and neighbor does not have in its dynamic any higher limit, but it does have a lower limit, beneath which the commandment is broken” (Veritatis Splendor, 1993, n. 52).
This complete picture questions the premise, to what extend do we really worship the same God? Yes, universal human nature is not totally depraved and, yes, the working of grace is a mystery fully known but to God. So, an appeal to “fraternity” is not to be rejected, but as a possible ideology, it also and truly is not enough.
Teaching ambiguity or lacking charity for the word of God suggests a misunderstanding of Scripture and a rejection of the Holy Spirit’s lights. From Scripture, we infer that God favors certain men. Men of today do well to conform our minds to God’s.
1)Cain and Abel were brothers. God accepted Abel’s sacrifice but rejected Cain’s.
2) Joseph’s many brothers hated Joseph because their father favored him.
3) Solomon’s lust overruled his wisdom when he allowed his wives to have altars built in Jerusalem for worship of pagan gods. Solomon then lost God’s favor. (1 Kings 11:7–8).
Many other scripture stories reveal the truth that God favors those who obey and please Him. The first three of the Ten Commandments address man’s obligation to God; only then are obligations to man commanded.
Jesus also taught the first and greatest commandment as love of God. Only then did He teach that the second commandment was ‘like’ the first. He did not say the next ‘equaled’ the first.
Jesus spoke of obedience to God’s commandments many times, asserting obedience as synonymous with love of God. Obedient love of God is man’s first priority. Love of fellow men should be ordered to love of God. We who have been gifted understanding and prudence know that justice and charity are due first to God, next to fellow believers, and last to those who reject, deny, persecute, and act to demonstrate hate for God and his followers.
Teaching ambiguity and lacking charity for the word of God suggests a misunderstanding of Scripture and a rejection of light the Holy Spirit yearns to give.