God is manifest in mercy
On the feast of the Baptism of Jesus, Pope Francis said: “God manifests Himself when mercy appears; that is His face. Jesus becomes the servant of sinners and is proclaimed the son; he lowers himself upon us and the Spirit descends upon him. Love calls upon love. It also applies to us: in each act of service, in every work of mercy we perform, God manifests Himself.
“But even before we do anything, our life was marked by mercy and it was laid upon us. We have been saved freely. Salvation is free. It is the freely given gesture of God’s mercy toward us. Sacramentally this is done on the day of our baptism; but even those who are not baptised always receive God’s mercy, because God is there, waiting for them to open the doors of their hearts. He draws near. Allow me to say, He caresses us with His mercy.”
Stop saying ‘I’
In an interview on Canale 5 last Sunday, the Pope said that “if politicians put more emphasis on personal interest than the common interest, they spoil things. …
“At this time, the executive class does not have the right to say ‘I’. They must say ‘we’ and seek unity in the face of the crisis. After the crisis, everyone can return to saying ‘I’, but right now, a politician, a bishop, a priest who is not able to say ‘we’ is not up to par.
“I tell all leaders to erase the word ‘I’ and to say the word ‘we’. You lose an opportunity: history will give you another.”
Sermons to be only in Danish
The Catholic Church in Denmark criticised a proposed law that mandates the translation of all sermons into Danish. Although the law proponents say that if homilies are not translated they can be used for radicalisation, a spokesperson for the Church said the draft legislation, which is directed against Muslims, will fuel ill-feeling and damage religious freedom.
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)