Pope Francis at General Audience: Gossip is a ‘diabolical cancer’
Sep 25, 2019
During his General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the book of the Acts of the Apostles.
He took this opportunity to reflect on problems that early Christian communities faced.
POPE FRANCIS
“Problems have existed from the beginning: how to solve problems when living in a community, without creating differences or problems.”
“In the face of trouble, tares appear. What is the worst weed for a community? Gossip.”
The pope explained that not only were there whispers from within the Church, but reproaches against Christian communities outside the Church as well.
He gave an example of St. Stephen: his enemies could not attack him, so they spread rumors about him instead.
POPE FRANCIS
“Slander or false testimony. We know that slander always kills. This ‘diabolical cancer,’ arises from the will to attack someone’s reputation also destroys the rest of the ecclesial body.”
Pope Francis also said that today, the Church is full of martyrs; men and women who give their lives for their faith.
Daniel Díaz Vizzi
Translated: Rachel Dobrzynski
General Audience: pope recalls how early Christians faced divisions
In the catechesis during the General Audience, the pope recalled how early Christians faced problems that arose in their communities.
“In the early Christian community, some complained that their widows were being neglected in the distribution of bread,” the pope said.
Pope Francis recalled that the Apostles created a solution to maintain peace between service of the Word and service to the poor. Even when met with adversary, these men forgave their adversaries and entrusted the Lord with their lives.
TEXT FROM THE CATECHESIS IN ENGLISH
Dear brothers and sisters:
We follow the spread of the Gospel throughout the world. In the early days, when some of the Christian community complained that their widows were being neglected, the Apostles created a solution to maintain peace between service of the Word and service to the poor.
They chose seven men to carry out charity, including Stephen, who proclaimed Christ’s Paschal Mystery as key to the history of the covenant. His words were met with resistance.
When condemned to death, Stephen forgave his adversaries and entrusted his life to the Lord. His actions teach us that our identity as God’s children comes from giving ourselves to the Father and forgiving those who offend us
By contemplating martyrs from the past and present, we may accept the martyrdom of daily fidelity to the Gospel and conformity to Christ.
I greet the English-speakers of today’s Audience, especially those from England, Scotland, Denmark, Malta, Norway, Kenya, Australia, Mariana Islands, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the United States of America. My greeting goes to the new seminarians of the Venerable English College. Upon all of you, I invoke the joy and peace of Jesus Christ. May God bless you!
General Audience 2019 © Zenit/María Langarica
‘St Stephen, Even When Condemned to Death, Entrusted Life to Lord’s Hands’, Pope Reminds at General Audience
Continuing Catechesis on Acts of the Apostles, Reminds We Likewise, Like Children, Ought to Abandon Our Lives to God
Even when condemned to death, Saint Stephen entrusted his life into the Lord’s
hands and forgave his adversaries.
Pope Francis stressed this during his weekly General Audience to the faithful gathered this morning, Sept. 25, in St. Peter’s Square. He was continuing his catechesis on the Acts of the Apostles.
“The actions of this first martyr teach us,” the Holy Father stressed, that our identity as God’s children consists in abandoning ourselves to the Father and forgiving those who offend us.”
Pope Francis encouraged those present to contemplate the martyrs throughout history, and those of the present, adding that to live a full life, one must “accept the martyrdom of daily fidelity” to the Gospel and conformity to Christ.
Greeting English speakers, the Argentine Pope offered some special words to the new seminarians of the Venerable English College as they begin their priestly formation in Rome.
Below is the Vatican-provided English-language summary of the Holy Father’s General Audience commentary given in St. Peter’s Square:
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Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our catechesis on the Acts of the Apostles, we continue to
follow the spread of the Gospel throughout the world. In the early Christian community some
complained that their widows were being neglected in the distribution of bread. The Apostles,
aware of their principal calling to preach the Word of God, discerned a solution to maintain the
harmony between the service of the Word and service to the poor. They instituted seven men, on
whom they imposed hands, to carry out works of charity. One of these seven deacons, Stephen,
proclaimed Christ’s Paschal Mystery as the key to the whole history of the covenant, but his words
met with resistance. Yet, even when condemned to death, Stephen entrusted his life into the Lord’s
hands and forgave his adversaries. The actions of this first martyr teach us that our identity as
God’s children consists in abandoning ourselves to the Father and forgiving those who offend us.
Let us ask the Lord that, by contemplating the martyrs of the past and present, we may live a full
life, accepting the martyrdom of daily fidelity to the Gospel and conformity to Christ.
Speaker:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially
the groups from England, Scotland, Denmark, Malta, Norway, Kenya, Australia, Mariana Islands,
China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the United States of America. In a particular
way my greeting goes to the new seminarians of the Venerable English College as they begin their
priestly formation here in Rome. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of
our Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless you!
Read the source: https://zenit.org/articles/st-stephen-even-when-condemned-to-death-entrusted-life-to-lords-hands-pope-reminds-at-general-audience/
Copyright: Vatican Media
GENERAL AUDIENCE: On the Acts of the Apostles & St Stephen
‘Today there are more martyrs than at the beginning of the life of the Church, and the martyrs are everywhere’
This morning’s General Audience was held at 9:10 in St. Peter’s Square, where the Holy Father Francis met with groups of pilgrims and faithful from Italy and from all over the world.
Continuing with the series of catecheses on the Acts of the Apostles, in his address in Italian the Pope focused his meditation on the theme: “Stephen ‘full of the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 7:55) between diakonia and martyrdom” (Biblical passage: from the Acts of the Apostles 6:8-10.15).
After summarizing his catechesis in several languages, the Holy Father expressed special greetings to groups of faithful present.
The General Audience ended with the singing of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Read the source: https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-on-the-acts-of-the-apostles-st-stephen/
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The Holy Father’s Catechesis
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
We continue to follow a journey through the Book of the Acts of the Apostles: the journey of the Gospel in the world. Saint Luke shows with great realism both the fruitfulness of this journey as well as the emergence of some problems in the heart of the Christian community. Since the beginning, there have always been problems. How can one harmonize the differences that cohabit within it without oppositions and splits occurring? The community did not welcome only Jews, but also Greeks, namely, people from the diaspora, non-Jews, with their own culture and sensibility and with another religion. Today, we say “pagans.” And these were welcomed. This presence determined fragile and precarious equilibriums, and, in face of the difficulties “tares” appear,” and what is the worst tare that destroys a community? The tare of murmuring, the tare of gossip: the Greeks murmur because of the community’s lack of attention to their widows.
The Apostles had a process of discernment, which consisted in considering the difficulties thoroughly and, together, seeking solutions. They find a way out by subdividing various tasks for the serene growth of the whole ecclesial body and to avoid neglecting either the “course” of the Gospel or the care of the poorest members.
The Apostles are always more aware that their principal vocation is prayer and the preaching of the Word of God: to pray and proclaim the Gospel, and they resolve the question by instituting a nucleus of “seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:3), who, after having received the imposition of hands, will be concerned with the service of the tables. They are Deacons that are created for this, for service. The Deacon in the Church isn’t a second class priest, he is something else; he isn’t for the altar, but for service. He is the custodian of service in the Church. When a Deacon likes to go to the altar too much, he is mistaken. This isn’t his way. This harmony between service to the Word and service to charity represents the leaven that makes the ecclesial body grow. And the Apostles create seven Deacons, and among the seven “Deacons,” Stephen and Philip are distinguished in a particular way. Stephen evangelizes with force and parrhesia, but his word meets with the most obstinate resistance. Not finding another way to make him desist, what do his adversaries do? They chose the most wretched solution to annihilate a human being: namely, calumny and false testimony. And you know that calumny always kills. This “diabolical cancer,” which is born of the will to destroy a person’s reputation, also attacks the rest of the ecclesial body and damages it gravely when, because of petty interests or to cover one’s own failures there is a coalition to smear someone.
Taken to the Sanhedrin and accused by false testimonies — they did the same with Jesus and they do the same with all the martyrs through false testimonies and calumnies — to defend himself, Stephen proclaims a rereading of sacred history centered in Christ. And the Easter of Jesus dead and risen is the key of the whole history of the Covenant. In face of this superabundance of the divine gift, Stephen courageously denounces the hypocrisy with which the prophets and Christ Himself were treated. And he reminds them of the history, saying: “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered” (Acts 7:52). He doesn’t mince words, but speaks clearly, says the truth.
This caused the violent reactions of the listeners, and Stephen was condemned to death, condemned to stoning. He, however, manifests the true “fabric” of the disciple of Christ. He doesn’t seek ways to escape, he doesn’t appeal to personalities who could save him but puts his life in the Lord’s hands, and Stephen’s prayer is very beautiful, at that moment: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59) — and he dies as a son of God, forgiving: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60).
These words of Stephen teach us that it’s not good speeches that reveal our identity as children of God, but only the abandonment of our life in the Father’s hands, and forgiveness of the one who offends us, which makes the quality of our faith seen.
Today there are more martyrs than at the beginning of the life of the Church, and the martyrs are everywhere. The Church of today is rich in martyrs. She is watered by their blood, which is “seed of new Christians” (Tertullian, Apologetics, 50, 13) and ensures growth and fruitfulness to the People of God. The martyrs aren’t “holy picture <saints>,” but men and women of flesh and bone that — as Revelation says — “have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb” (7:14). They are the true winners.
Let us also ask the Lord that, looking at the martyrs of yesterday and of today, we may learn to live a full life, accepting the martyrdom of daily fidelity to the Gospel and of conformation to Christ.
[Original text: Italian] [ZENIT’s translation by Virginia M. Forrester]In Italian
A warm welcome goes to the Italian-speaking pilgrims.
I’m happy to welcome the participants in the General Chapters of the Missionaries of the Holy Family, of the Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres, of the Missionary Sisters of Saint Peter Claver. I exhort to open yourselves docilely to the Holy Spirit to discern new ways in living the respective foundation charisms. I greet the Brothers of the Holy Family, the Members of the Carmelite Family, and all those taking part in the course promoted by the “Rome International Seminar 2019.”
In addition, I greet the Parishes of Campocavallo di Osimo, with the Archbishop of Ancona, Monsignor Spina, and of Viggianello, the Italian Association of Victims of Violence, the Saint Francis Work for the Poor of Brescia, and the Zordan Groups of Valdagno and Noi-Huntington.
A particular thought goes to young people, the elderly, the sick and newlyweds.
Next Friday we will celebrate the Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Founder and Patron of all Charity Associations. May the example of charity given to us by Saint Vincent de Paul lead all of you to a joyous and selfless service to the neediest, and open you to the duty of hospitality and to the gift of life.
[Original text: Italian] [ZENIT’s translation by Virginia M. Forrester]
Copyright: Vatican Media
Pope Tells Middle East Students What the Martyrs Teach Us
Giving Some Special Advice, Reminds Them of the Gentle Force of Love
Students of the Middle East: The Gentle Force of Love
Pope Greets Arabic-speaking Pilgrims
Pope Francis has given some advice to students from the Middle East
During his weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, during his remarks to Arabic-speaking pilgrims, Francis greeted Arabic-speaking pilgrims, but, in particular, “the delegation of students of the Middle East.”
The Holy Father’s catechesis today was on the figure of Saint Stephen in the Acts of the Apostles.
To the students, Francis recommended “the gentle force of love.”
“Dear brothers and sisters,” he said, “martyrs are those men and those women faithful to the gentle force of love, to the voice of the Holy Spirit, who in the life of each day seek to help brothers to love God without reserve,” he said to them.
The martyrs, the Pope said, “teach us that, by the force of love, by gentleness, one can fight against arrogance, violence, war and one can bring about peace with patience.”
Pope Francis concluded, saying: “May the Lord bless you!”