On conversion

In his homily on the Second Sunday of Advent, in Athens, Greece, Pope Francis said:

“It is necessary to trust [God], because he is our beyond, our strength. Everything changes if the first place is left to him. That is conversion: it is enough for the Lord that we leave our door open to enter and do wonders. Let us ask for the grace to believe that with God, things change, that he heals our fears, heals our wounds, transforms arid places into springs of water. Let us ask for the grace of hope. Because hope revives faith and rekindles charity. Because the deserts of the world are thirsty for hope.”

The Beatitudes

At a meeting with Cypriot authorities in Nicosia on December 2, the Pope said:

“The Beatitudes are the perennial charter of Christianity. When they are lived out, the Gospel becomes youthful and fills society with hope. The Beatitudes are the compass that, in every latitude, indicates the routes Christians must take in the voyage of life. The earliest Christians gave to the world the amazing newness of the Beatitudes that won hearts and bestowed freedom upon many.”

A patient Church

Addressing priests and members of Catholic religious and lay organisations, the Pope said:

“We need a patient Church, that does not allow itself to be upset and troubled by change, but calmly welcomes newness and discerns situations in the light of the Gospel. This is an important message for the Church in Europe, marked by the crisis of faith. It does little good to be impulsive and tempestuous, nostalgic or querulous; instead, we do well to march forward, reading the signs of the times as well as the signs of the crisis. We need to start proclaiming the Gospel anew, patiently, closely following the Beatitudes, above all proclaiming them to the next generation.”

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)