Pope Francis at Te Deum: God does not choose us because of our ‘brilliance’
Jan 3,2020
The pope closed 2019 with the Te Deum prayer in St. Peter’s Basilica. It is a Catholic tradition to thank God for the year’s blessings.
During his homily, the pope reflected on the importance of seemingly insignificant people and places in God’s plan of salvation.
POPE FRANCIS
“God’s decision is clear. To reveal His love, He chooses a small city, a despised city. When He reaches Jerusalem, He joins the population of sinners and castaways. When God wants to make all things new through His son, He begins not in the temple, but in the womb of a small, poor woman of His people.”
As Bishop of Rome, he then addressed the Roman people, encouraging them to remain hopeful amid the city’s hardships.
POPE FRANCIS
“Rome is not just a complicated city, with its share of problems, inequalities, corruption and social tensions. Rome is a city where God sends His Word, which remains through the Holy Spirit, in the heart of its people. It impels them to believe and hope, despite everything, and to love while fighting for the good of all.”
He concluded his homily by challenging Christians to actively encounter others and listen to the cry of those in need.
POPE FRANCIS
“We shouldn’t be scared or feel inadequate in front of such an important mission. Let us remember it: God does not choose us because of our ‘brilliance,’ but precisely because we are and feel small.”
Those gathered spent a moment in silent prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Then the pope went to pray before the statue of Mary.
After vespers, Pope Francis made his way to St. Peter’s Square to pay a visit to the Nativity scene.
He stopped to greet many of the pilgrims gathered, like this baby and her dad.
Not everyone was so calm. One woman yanked the pope toward her, making him slap her hand away.
This didn’t stop the pope from finishing his walk through the square and enjoying the final hours of 2019.
Claudia Torres
After The Elevator – © Vatican Media
POPE FRANCIS ASKS PARDON FOR IMPATIENCE WITH WOMAN WHO GRABBED HIM ABRUPTLY LAST NIGHT
During Angelus Address on Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, 83-year-old Pope Recalls Love Is Patient
Pope Francis has asked pardon publicly for his impatient reaction with the woman who abruptly grabbed him last night when he stepped into St. Peter’s Square to meditate near the Nativity Scene and to greet the crowds.
Francis did so today, January 1, 2020, before praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square, recalling that “love is patient.”
Reflecting on “the patience of love,” the Argentine Pope recalled that “love makes us patient.”
“So often, we lose patience,” he acknowledged.
After celebrating Vespers, in the Vatican Basilica, the Pope went to St. Peter’s Square and he meditated in front of the manger. Before and after this visit to the crèche, the pope greeted those present, including kissing babies, greeting the disabled and crowds, and blessing children.
During these spontaneous greetings, often there are surprises, and occasionally some incidents. While walking through the crowds, a little boy fell from the railing and the Pope turned to bless him, offering him a rosary. Also, a choir sang for the Pope in English.
However, a woman grabbed the Pope’s hand, gripped it firmly, while he wanted to move away, as if she did not want to let him go. This caused the 83-year-old Pope to lose his patience.
Recalling salvation in Christ is not “magic” but “patient,” Pope Francis this afternoon asked pardon for his impatience.
“I apologize,” the Holy Father said, “for the bad example yesterday.”
Read the source: https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-asks-pardon-for-impatience-with-woman-who-grabbed-him-abruptly-last-night/
Angry Francis Slaps Woman (Video)
Francis concluded the year 2019 with the usual Vespers and the Te Deum. Then, he left St Peter’s Basilica to visit the Nativity scene on St Peter’s Square.
Only few people were waiting for him. While greeting them, an Asian woman grabbed his hand. Francis violently slapped her hand several times until she let him go.
A Twitter comment pointed to the Francis’ angry face, “His mask fell off. That’s the real face of Pope Francis!”
Shortly before the incident, Francis preached to his audience telling them “to take time for others” and “to dialogue” stressing that “to listen is an act of love.”
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Pope apologizes for slapping woman’s hand after she aggressively grabbed him
Jan 2,2020
On Dec. 31, while Pope Francis greeted pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter’s Square, this happened.
The pope, clearly upset, reprimanded this woman who had aggressively pulled his hand. Pope Francis likely reacted out of fear at the unexpected gesture. He could have also been hurt by the violent movement. At 83 years old, he suffers from back and leg pain.
The clip went viral and received a variety of comments, many negative.
During the Angelus prayer on Jan. 1, Pope Francis apologized for this moment in which he said he lost his patience.
POPE FRANCIS
“Many times we lose our patience. I do too, and so I apologize for the bad example I set yesterday.”
Also on Dec. 31, a few minutes before this episode which received so much attention, this happened.
This little boy fell from the railing while he tried to greet the pope. Pope Francis realized this and didn’t leave him until making sure the boy was completely fine.
Ángeles Conde
Vatican Media Screenshot
POPE AT ANGELUS URGES ATTITUDE OF ‘GRATITUDE AND PRAISE’
‘We Fix Our Gaze on the Mother and on the Son That She Shows Us’
Pope Francis started the new year with a call to gratitude and praise, reminding the faithful that the world is a “miracle”.
His remarks came before praying the noonday Angelus with a huge crowd of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. His appearance at the window of his study in the Apostolic Vatican Palace followed Holy Mass celebrated in the
“Yesterday evening we ended the year 2019 thanking God for the gift of time and for all His benefits,” the Holy Father said. “Today we begin 2020 with the same attitude of gratitude and praise. It’s not a given that our planet began a new rotation of the sun and that we human beings continue to inhabit it. It’s not a given, rather, it’s always a ‘miracle’ of which to be astonished and grateful.”
The Pope emphasized that the child born to Mary is a blessing from God for every man and woman. He how important it is that “we fix our gaze on the Mother and on the Son that She shows us”.
“On the first day of the year, the Liturgy celebrates the Holy Mother of God, Mary, the Virgin of Nazareth, who gave birth to Jesus, the Savior,” Francis said. “That Child is God’s blessing for every man and woman, for the great human family and for the entire world. Jesus did not remove evil from the world but He defeated it at its root.
“Therefore, the Mother of God blesses us. And, how does Our Lady bless us? By showing us the Son. She takes Him in her arms and shows Him and thus She blesses us. She blesses the whole Church; She blesses the whole world. ”
The Holy Father also reminded those listening that it is the World Day of Peace, an observance instituted by Pope Paul VI to be dedicated to prayer and efforts for peace. The message for the day, the Pope recalled reads: “Peace is a path of hope, a path in which one advances through dialogue, reconciliation, and ecological conversion”.
Read the source: https://zenit.org/articles/pope-at-angelus-urges-attituge-of-gratitude-and-praise/
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