Monday, May 19, 2014

Pope Francis: Avoid Gossip, Jealousy, Envy

Yesterday, the Holy Father, as usual on Sunday, appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Regina Coeli with the faithful and pilgrims present in St. Peter's Square. The Pope commented on the day's Gospel reading from the Acts of the Apostles, and emphasised that in the early days of the Church there were tensions and disagreements. “In life, there are conflicts; the problem is how to face them. … Problems cannot be solved by acting as if they do not exist”.

Pope Francis talked about how the Apostles, when faced with difficulties, took control of the situation and therefore overcame their problems. “By sharing, discussing and praying, all problems in the Church can be resolved, with the certainty that gossip, envy and jealousy never lead to concord, harmony and peace. There too it was the Holy Spirit who crowned this understanding and this enables us to understand that, when we let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit, it leads us to harmony, unity and respect for different gifts and talents”. The Holy Father asked the Virgin Mary to “help us to be docile to the Holy Spirit, so that we might be mutually respectful and converge ever more deeply in faith and charity, with our hearts open to the needs of our brethren”.

Before concluding, the Holy Father asked those present to pray a Hail Mary for the victims of the floods in the Balkans and for all those who continue to work to overcome these moments of despair. The Pontiff also mentioned that today in the city of Iasi, Romania, Bishop Anton Durcovici, martyr to the faith, was proclaimed a Blessed. He greeted students from various Catholic schools, the voluntary associations celebrating the national Day for cancer patients, and all those present, wishing them a good Sunday.

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