God loved us first

Speaking at Santa Martha, on January 10 Pope Francis said: “Parents love their child just as God loves us… He loved us first. And this gives birth to and increases our capacity to love. If you say you love God but hate your brother, you are on the other side: you are a liar. There are no concessions to this. If you are not capable of loving people, from the closest to the furthest away, you cannot tell us that you love God: you are a liar.”        

New beginnings

Commenting about the recent agreement reached in Northern Ireland, leaders of different Christian churches said: “The principles of accountability, transparency and responsibility, identified in the agreement are crucial to underpinning sustainable government and ensuring that the experience of the past three years cannot happen again. The story of the Christian faith is one of new beginnings, where failure is never final, second chances abound, and all things can be renewed. We will continue to offer our prayers for all involved in making this agreement work, encouraging them, for the sake of the whole community, to grasp fully this new opportunity.”       

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)