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Pope Francis greeted the crowd as he led the Angelus from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Aug. 15, the feast of the Assumption.
Pope Francis greeted the crowd as he led the Angelus from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Aug. 15, the feast of the Assumption.
Photo Credit: Paul Haring | Catholic News Service

POPE’S MESSAGE | Assumption feast invites people to look to heaven with hope

VATICAN CITY — Mary’s assumption into heaven calls people to put aside all those insignificant, mundane and petty concerns competing for their attention and instead be drawn to God and His greatness, Pope Francis said.

After reciting the Angelus prayer on the feast of the Assumption Aug. 15, Pope Francis also blessed thousands of rosaries that will be given to Catholics in Syria “as a sign of my closeness, especially for families who have lost someone because of the war.”

“Prayers made with faith are powerful. Let us keep praying for peace in the Middle East and the whole world,” said the pope, who explained that Aid to the Church in Need spearheaded the initiative to send some 6,000 rosaries to Catholic communities in Syria.

He also expressed his concern and prayers for those affected by monsoons in South Asia.

A week of heavy rains triggered deadly landslides and flooding in India, where, according to government officials, nearly 300 people died and more than 1.2 million people were forced from their homes. Officials in Myanmar reported more than 50 people have died there.

“May the Lord give strength to those (affected) and those who help them,” the pope said.

With the assumption of Mary, body and soul, into heaven, she is “like a mother who waits for her children to come back home.” Knowing that she is there with God in heaven “gives us comfort and hope during our pilgrimage” on earth, he said.

The feast of the Assumption of Mary is an invitation to everyone, “especially for those who are afflicted by doubt and sadness, and live gazing downward,” he said.

“Let us look on high,” he said, where Mary awaits. “She loves us, she smiles at us and she comes to our aid with haste.”

Just as every mother wants what is best for her children, “she tells us, ‘You are precious in God’s eyes; you were not made for measly worldly gratifications, but for the great joys of heaven,’” the pope said.

In life, it is important to seek what is truly great, “otherwise we get lost” chasing after so many trivial things, he said.

“Mary shows us that if we want our life to be happy, God goes first because only He is great,” he said.

“Instead, how often we live chasing after things that don’t matter: prejudices, grudges, rivalries, jealousies, illusions, superfluous material goods. How much pettiness in life!”

But today, “Mary invites us to lift our gaze up to the great things that the Lord has done for her” and reminds people that the Lord also does great things in them.

“Let us be attracted by true beauty, let us not be swallowed up by the petty things of life, but let us choose the greatness of heaven,” he said.


Pope: Christians choose fidelity to Gospel over hypocrisy

VATICAN CITY — Christians must not be hypocrites, Pope Francis said.

Not being a hypocrite, he said, means being ready to “pay the price” of being faithful to the Gospel in concrete situations every day.

Before praying the Angelus with visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square Aug. 18, Pope Francis reflected on the day’s Gospel reading (Luke 12:49-53) in which Jesus says He has come “to set the earth on fire” and to bring “division,” not peace.

What this means, the pope said, is Jesus has come to separate “good from evil, the just from the unjust. In this respect, He has come to ‘divide,’ to spark a ‘crisis’ — in a healthy way — in the life of His disciples, shattering the simple illusions of those who believe they can combine Christian life and worldliness, Christian life and compromises of all kinds, religious practices and attitudes against one’s neighbor.”

“It is about living not like a hypocrite, but by being willing to pay the price” of making choices that are consistent with the Gospel.

“It’s nice to call oneself a Christian, but it demands, above all, being Christians in concrete situations, giving witness to the Gospel, which essentially is love for God and for one’s brothers and sisters” in the human family, he said.

In order to live according to the spirit of the Gospel, Christians will have to keep making sure they are responding to so many new needs with new forms of charity.

The pope also reminded people, that together with serving others, Christians must also worship God.

“To worship God also means to learn prayers of adoration, which we often forget. That is why I invite everyone to discover the beauty of prayers of adoration and to practice it often,” he said.

— Catholic News Service

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