Love over political power

 

 

 

 

 

Pope Francis noted that the feast of Christ the King “reminds us that the life of creation does not advance by chance, but proceeds towards a final goal:

the definitive manifestation of Christ, the Lord of history and of all creation.”

He said the end goal of history will be fulfilled in Christ’s eternal kingdom.

 

 

  

 

Pope Francis’s Angelus address for the feast of ‘Christ the King’ can be read at, for instance: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-11/pope-francis-angelus-christ-the-king-love.html

 

 

Pope at Angelus: ‘Jesus’ eternal kingdom founded on love’

 

Ahead of the Sunday Angelus prayer on the Solemnity of Christ the King, Pope Francis says Jesus came to establish an eternal kingdom which is founded on love and gives peace, freedom, and fullness of life.

 

By Devin Watkins

 

Pope Francis prayed the Angelus on Sunday with thousands of pilgrims huddled under umbrellas in a rainy St. Peter’s Square. He even complemented their courage. “You’re brave to have come with this rain!” he said.

In his address ahead of the Angelus prayer, the Holy Father reflected on the day’s Gospel passage (Jn 18:33b-37) and the Solemnity of Christ the King. He said Jesus’ kingdom rests on the power of love, since God is love.

 

Christ the King

 

Pope Francis noted that the feast of Christ the King “reminds us that the life of creation does not advance by chance, but proceeds towards a final goal: the definitive manifestation of Christ, the Lord of history and of all creation.” He said the end goal of history will be fulfilled in Christ’s eternal kingdom.

 

In the day’s Gospel, Jesus has been dragged – bound and humiliated – before Pontius Pilate to be tried. The Pope said the religious authorities of Jerusalem present Jesus to the Roman governor of Judea as one who is seeking to supplant the political authority of Rome. They say he wants to become king.

So Pilate interrogates him, twice asking Jesus if he is the king of the Jews. Jesus replies that his kingdom “is not of this world”.

“It was evident all his life that Jesus had no political ambitions,” the Pope said. He noted that, after the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus’ followers had wanted to proclaim him king and to overthrow the power of Rome, in order to restore the kingdom of Israel. Jesus responded, the Pope said, by retreating to the mountain alone to pray.

 

Love over political power

 

With his responses to Pilate, Pope Francis said Jesus “wants to make it clear that above political power there is another, much greater power, which is not achieved by human means.”

Jesus, he said, “came to earth to exercise this power, which is love, to testify to the truth.”

The Holy Father said this divine truth, “which is ultimately the central message of the Gospel”, is that “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8).

Pope Francis said Jesus worked to establish “his kingdom of love, justice, and peace in the world”. Jesus’ kingdom, the Pope said, will last until the end of time.

 

Founded on love

 

He contrasted this eternal kingdom with short-lived, earthly kingdoms. “History teaches that kingdoms founded on the power of arms and lies are fragile and collapse sooner or later.”

The kingdom of God, Pope Francis said, “is founded on his love and is rooted in the heart, granting peace, freedom, and fullness of life to those who accept it.”

 

Finally, the Holy Father said Jesus is asking us to let Him become our king. “A king who by his word, example, and life sacrificed on the cross has saved us from death and points the way to people who are lost, and gives new light to our existence that is marked by doubt, fear, and daily trials.”

But, said Pope Francis, we must not forget that Jesus’ kingdom “is not of this world.”

“He can give new meaning to our life, which is at times put to the test even by our mistakes and sins, only on the condition that we do not follow the logic of the world and its ‘kings’

 

  

Pope Francis: Sacred music points to the beauty of Paradise

 

 

 

 



https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-sacred-music-points-to-the-beauty-of-paradise-21149

By Hannah Brockhaus

 

Vatican City, Nov 24, 2018 / 06:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Liturgical and sacred music can be a powerful instrument of evangelization, because it gives people a glimpse of the beauty of heaven, Pope Francis said Saturday at an international meeting of choirs.
“Your music and your song are a true instrument of evangelization insofar as you witness to the profoundness of the Word of God that touches the hearts of people, and allow a celebration of the sacraments, especially of the Holy Eucharist, which makes one sense the beauty of Paradise,” the pope said Nov. 24.
“Never stop this commitment” to music, he emphasized, “such an important commitment to the life of our communities… In moments of joy and sadness, the Church is called to always be close to people, to offer them the company of faith.”
Music has the ability to make a deep impression on moments in people’s life, preserving them “as a precious memory that has marked their existence,” he noted.
Pope Francis spoke in a meeting with over 8,000 singers and musicians from around the world, who are attending an international meeting of choirs at the Vatican Nov. 23-25.
The third edition of the conference, it began with talks on “Music in the Liturgy and Catechesis for the New Evangelization,” presented by Msgr. Marco Frisina, a renowned composer and founder and director of the Choir of the Diocese of Rome.
Other experts in sacred and liturgical music also gave presentations, including Msgr. Guido Marini, Pope Francis’ master of liturgical ceremonies.
The conference of choirs also had a moment for testimonies from singers and musicians from around the world, including Brazil, the Central African Republic, Mexico, Lebanon, Iraq, China, Vietnam, Turkey, and the United States.
The culmination of the meeting will be a choral concert in the afternoon Nov. 24, where participants will sing works by Palestrina, Mozart, Perosi, Handel, Vivaldi, and Bartolucci.
The event will conclude Nov. 25 with Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica followed by attendance at Pope Francis’ Sunday Angelus in St. Peter’s Square.
“Your presence,” the pope told the singers and musicians, “while highlighting the internationality of your respective countries, allows us to grasp the universality of the Church and its different traditions.”
“Your song and your music, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist, make it clear that we are one body and sing one faith with one voice. Even if we speak different languages, everyone can understand the music we sing, the faith we profess and the hope that we await,” he stated.
The pope encouraged musicians and singers to study and prepare so that they can accompany the liturgy well, and not be tempted to draw attention to themselves: “Please, do not be a ‘prima donna!’” he said.
Liturgical musicians, he said, should be “animators of the song of the whole assembly,” not replace it.
“Through these musical compositions and songs,” he said, “voice is also given to prayer and in this way a real international choir is formed, where in unison the praise and glory rises to the Father of all from his people.”