Pope Francis: memory focus of 80th birthday homily
(Vatican Radio) Memory was the focus of Pope Francis’ remarks following the readings of the day at a Mass of which he was the principal celebrant in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace, along with the cardinals resident in Rome, who were assembled to give thanks to God on the occasion of the Holy Father’s 80th birthday.
Memory – not merely recollection – of parents and forefathers, of friends and relatives who have gone before him, of the signs of a life well and fully lived – but most especially the memoria Dei, the “memory of God” that is present throughout salvation history and is the characteristic and the hallmark of Christian life.
Click below to hear our report
“In Advent we started this journey, of vigilant expectation of the Lord. Today we stop, we look back, we see that the journey has been beautiful, that the Lord has not disappointed us, that the Lord is faithful,” he said.
“We also see that both in history, and in our own lives, there have been wonderful moments of fidelity and bad times of sin,” Pope Francis went on to say, “but the Lord is there, with hand outstretched to help you up and tell you: ‘Be on your way forward!’ – and this is the Christian life – going forward, towards the definitive encounter. Let not this journey of such intensity, in vigilant expectation of the Lord’s coming, take away the grace of memory, of looking back on everything the Lord has done for us, for the Church, in the history of salvation. Thus shall we understand why the Church does read this passage [the Genealogy of Jesus, Mt. 1:1-17] that may seem a bit boring – but here is the story of a God who chose to walk with his people and become himself, in the end, a man, like every one of us.”
11 comments:
May he have many more happy years.
Happy Birthday, Holy Father!
O God, who in your wondrous providence chose your servant Francis to preside over your Church, we give you most hearty thanks for the years of his faithful service, praying that, after having served as the Vicar of your Son on earth, he may enjoy your abundant blessing in this life and, at life’s end, be received by your Son into eternal glory. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
My birthday song ended up in the wrong thread. So...
Happy Birthday to you,
Your progressive friends, too,
And your off the wall vatican
It resembles a zoo!
Mark Thomas praying for the death of the Catholic Church is quaint.
Gene’s birthday song second verse:
This wish is heartfelt
Though I continue to pelt
Well below the belt
Until with I'm dealt
Anon2, "F" in grammar and construction.
May he have an early retirement...
Gene:
I have a license for it.
Yeah, emphasis upon "license." LOL!
Gene takes offense
At poetic license
Though he is not dense
And must see the sense
There once was a guy named Anonymous,
Who thought like our old friend Heironymous,
His Earthly Delight
Was poetry that's trite,
While his grammar was simply abominous.
Post a Comment