In his Angelus address last Sunday the Pope said: “Christ’s Transfiguration shows us the Christian perspective of suffering. Suffering isn’t sadomasochism: it’s a necessary but transitory passage.

“The point of arrival to which we are called is luminous, as Christ’s transfigured countenance: in Him is salvation, beatitude, light and endless love of God. By showing his glory in this way, Jesus assures us that the cross, the trials, the difficulties in which we find ourselves have their solution and their overcoming in Easter.

“Therefore, in this Lent, let us also go up the mountain with Jesus! But how? With prayer, we go up the mountain with prayer: silent prayer, heartfelt prayer, prayer that always seeks the Lord. We stay for a few moments in recollection, a bit every day, we fix our interior gaze on his face and we let his light pervade us and radiate in our life. In fact, the evangelist Luke stresses that Jesus was transfigured ‘as he was praying’.

“We continue our Lenten itinerary with joy. We give space to prayer and to the Word of God, which the liturgy proposes abundantly to us in these days.”

French bishop backs married priests

During a March 8 broadcast on RCF radio, Archbishop Pascal Wintzer of Poitiers said: “I chose celibacy and that corresponds to who I am. But I think that, as in the Eastern Churches, married men could be called to be priests, while still continuing in their jobs. On Sundays, they will preside over the liturgical assembly, will lead prayer and preach the Gospel.

“It is good that we live in a secular country where each citizen is accountable in justice like anyone else. And that includes bishops.

“It is also necessary that this occurs within our Christian communities. The priest is not a sacred man, nor is the bishop. We are people who have been called to a particular service for a mission. Every human being is sacred, not just priests.”

Congo bishops worry about corruption

After a meeting on March 9 of the bishops of the Democratic Republic of the Congo during which they condemned the corruption that has infested the country, Fr Archange Kampi, executive secretary of the bishops’ conference, said: “We are today witnessing another deceit: That which consists in buying access to governorship and to the senate. This vast campaign of corruption is a force of massive national destruction. What can we really wait for from political leaders who, shamelessly, buy the votes of their voters?”  

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)

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