"Let us remember our history: the Society 'was given the grace not only to   
   believe in the Lord, but also to suffer for His sake'. We do well to remember   
   this. The ship of the Society has been tossed around by the waves and there is   
   nothing surprising in this. Even the boat of Peter can be tossed about today.   
   The night and the powers of darkness are always near. It is tiring to row. The   
   Jesuits must be 'brave and expert rowers': row then! Row, be strong, even with   
   the headwind! We row in the service of the Church. We row together! But while   
   we row - we all row, even the Pope rows in the barque of Peter - we must pray   
   a lot. ... The Lord, even if we are men of little faith, will save us".   
    "The Society, restored by my predecessor Pius VII, was made up of men, who   
   were brave and humble in their witness of hope, love and apostolic creativity,   
   that of the Spirit. Pius VII ... gave permission to the Jesuits, who still   
   existed here and there, thanks to a Lutheran monarch and an Orthodox monarch,   
   'to remain united in one body'. ... The Society resumed its apostolic activity   
   of preaching and teaching, spiritual ministries, scientific research and   
   social action, the missions and care for the poor, the suffering and the   
   marginalised. Today, the Society also deals with the tragic problem of   
   refugees and displaced persons with intelligence and industriousness; and it   
   strives with discernment to integrate service to faith and the promotion of   
   justice in conformity with the Gospel. I confirm today what Paul VI told us at   
   our 32nd General Congregation and which I heard with my own ears: "Wherever in   
   the Church, even in the most difficult and extreme situations, in the   
   crossroads of ideologies, in the social trenches, where there has been and   
   there is confrontation between the deepest desires of man and the perennial   
   message of the Gospel, there you have been and there are Jesuits.   
    "In 1814, at the time of the restoration, the Jesuits were a small flock, a   
   'small Society', which however knew how to invest, following the trials of the   
   cross, in the great mission of bringing the light of the Gospel to the ends of   
   the earth. This is how we must feel today therefore: outbound, in mission. The   
   Jesuit identity is that of a man who loves God and loves and serves his   
   brothers, showing by example not only that in which he believes, but also that   
   in which he hopes, and who is the One in whom he has put his trust".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    The Pope's message for the beatification of the Opus Dei prelate Alvaro del   
   Portillo: in the simplicity of everyday life we can find the way to holiness   
    Vatican City, 27 September 2014 (VIS) - The bishop Alvaro del Portillo   
   (1914-1994), first successor of St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer at the helm   
   of Opus Dei, was beatified in Madrid, Spain this morning. The Holy Father sent   
   a message to Bishop Javier Echevarria, current Prelate of Opus Dei, which was   
   read during the ceremony, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato,S.D.B., prefect of   
   the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The message was signed 26 June, the   
   feast day of St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer.   
    "I like to recall the short prayer that the Servant of God repeated   
   frequently, especially in personal celebrations and anniversaries: 'Thank you,   
   I'm sorry, help me more!' These are words that bring us closer to the reality   
   of his interior life and his dealing with the Lord, and which can also help us   
   to give a new impulse to our own Christian life", writes the Pope.   
    "Firstly, thank you. It is the immediate and spontaneous reaction of the soul   
   before God's goodness. ... And God always precedes us. Alvaro del Portillo was   
   aware of the many gifts God had given him, and he thanked God for that   
   manifestation of his fatherly love. But he did not stop there. His gratitude   
   for the Lord's love awakened in his heart the wish to follow him with greater   
   selflessness and generosity, and to live a humble life of service to others.   
   Particularly evident was his love for the Church, bride of Christ, whom he   
   served with a heart stripped of worldly interests, free of discord, always   
   welcoming to all, and always seeking the positive in others, what unites and   
   what builds".   
    Secondly, there is the phrase "I'm sorry". Francis explains in his letter   
   that Don Alvaro "often admitted that he saw himself before God with empty   
   hands, unable to respond to so much generosity. However, the admission of   
   human poverty is not the fruit of despair ... but instead means opening   
   oneself to His mercy, His love ... that does not humiliate, nor does it sink   
   into the abyss of despair; rather, it lives us from our prostration and   
   enables us to walk with more determination and joy. The Servant of God Alvaro   
   knew the need we have of divine mercy, and he dedicated much of his personal   
   energy to encourage persons to approach the Sacrament of Confession, the   
   Sacrament of joy."   
    Finally, "help me more. Yes, the Lord never abandons us. ... His grace never   
   fails us, and with His help we can proclaim His name to all the world. Beating   
   in the heart of the new Blessed was the desire to take the Good News to all   
   hearts. He went to many countries encouraging evangelisation projects, without   
   being hindered by difficulties, moved by his love for God and for his   
   brothers. ... The first condition for proclaiming Christ is to love them, as   
   Christ loved them before us. From there, the Lord awaits us. We cannot keep   
   our faith to ourselves; it is a gift that we have received in order to be able   
   to give it and share it with others".   
    "Blessed Alvaro del Portillo sends us a very clear message; he tells us to   
   trust in the Lord, who is our brother, our friend who never disappoints us and   
   who is always at our side," concludes the Holy Father. "He encourages us not   
   to be afraid to go against the current or to suffer for proclaiming the   
   Gospel. In addition, he teaches us that in the simplicity and ordinariness of   
   our life we can find a sure path of holiness".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Francis: the encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist is a source of hope for   
   the world   
    Vatican City, 27 September 2014 (VIS) - "The Eucharist occupies the central   
   position in the Church because it is what makes the Church. As Vatican Council   
   II affirms, it is the 'sacrament of piety, sign of unity, bond of charity'",   
   said the Pope this morning, as he received in audience the participants in the   
   plenary assembly of the Pontifical Committee for the International Eucharistic   
   Councils.   
    The theme of the next congress, "Christ in you, the hope of glory",   
   "perfectly reflects the bond between the Eucharist, the mission and Christian   
   hope", continued the Pontiff. "Today there is a lack of hope in the world, and   
   therefore humanity needs to hear the message of our hope in Jesus Christ. The   
   Church proclaims this message with renewed ardour, using new methods and new   
   expressions. With the spirit of 'new evangelisation', the Church brings this   
   message to all and, in particular, those who despite being baptised, have   
   drifted away from the Church and live without reference to Christian life".   
    "The encounter between Jesus in the Eucharist will be a source of hope for   
   the world if, transformed by the power of the Holy See in the image on He Whom   
   we meet, we accept the mission of transforming the world, giving the fullness   
   of life that we ourselves have received and experienced, bringing hope,   
   forgiveness, healing and love to those who are in need, especially the poor,   
   the dispossessed and the oppressed, sharing life and aspirations and walking   
   alongside them in search of an authentic human life in Jesus Christ",   
   concluded Pope Francis, invoking the protection of the Virgin Mary for the   
   51st International Eucharistic Congress, to take place in Cebu, Philippines in   
   January 2015.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Communicating the family: a privileged place of encounter with the gift of   
   love   
    Vatican City, 29 September 2014 (VIS) - The Pontifical Council for Social   
   Communications published a note today explaining the theme of World   
   Communications Day 2015: "Communicating the family: a privileged place of   
   encounter with the gift of love". The theme follows in continuity with the   
   previous year's message, and dovetails with the central theme of the next two   
   Synods on the family.   
    It is important to recall that World Communications Day, the only World Day   
   established by Vatican Council II, is celebrated in many countries, upon the   
   recommendation of bishops throughout the world, on the Sunday preceding   
   Pentecost, and that the Holy Father's Message for the event is traditionally   
   published on the feast day of St. Francis of Sales, patron saint of   
   journalists (24 January).   
    "The daily news show us the difficulties facing the family today", according   
   to the note. "Often cultural changes do not help us appreciate how much the   
   family is a good for society.   
    "The relationships between the members of the family community are inspired   
   and guided by the law of 'free giving'. By respecting and fostering personal   
   dignity in each and every one as the only basis for value, this free giving   
   takes the form of heartfelt acceptance, encounter and dialogue, disinterested   
   availability, generous service and deep solidarity.   
    "Today, how can we tell people who are perhaps wounded and disillusioned that   
   love between a man and a woman is a good thing? How can we help children know   
   that they are a most precious gift? How can we warm the hearts of people,   
   especially those who are wounded and disappointed, and help them rediscover   
   the beauty of love? How can we show that the family is the privileged place   
   where we experience the beauty of life, the joy and the gift of love, the   
   consolation of forgiveness offered and received, and the encounter with the   
   other?   
    "Today the Church must learn again how to show that the family is a great   
   gift, something good and beautiful. The Church is called to show more vividly   
   that the gift of love, which the bride and groom offer each other, draws all   
   people to God. It is an exciting task because it moves people to look at the   
   true reality of the human person, and it opens the doors to the future, to   
   life".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Audiences   
    Vatican City, 29 September 2014 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in   
   audience:   
    - Marcelo Julio Martin, ex-honorary consul of the Helvetic Confederation in   
   Rosario, Argentina, and family;   
    - Stephan Weil, prime minister of Lower Saxony, and entourage.   
    On Saturday, 27 September, the Holy Father received in audience:   
    - Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops;   
    - Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio in Mexico;   
    - Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, apostolic nuncio in the Philippines;   
    - Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla, apostolic nuncio in Tanzania   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 27 September 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed Rev.   
   Salvatore Angerami as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Naples (area 274,   
   population 1,744,000, Catholics 1,715,000, priests 1,053, permanent deacons   
   292, religious 3,413), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Naples, Italy in   
   1956 and was ordained a priest in 1997. He studied engineering at the   
   University "Federico II" of Naples and exercised the profession of engineer   
   for some years before undertaking theological and philosophical studies at the   
   archiepiscopal seminary of Naples. He has served in a number of pastoral   
   roles, including parish priest of San Gennaro al Vomero, archiepiscopal   
   delegate for buildings of worship, ordinary confessor and spiritual father of   
   the preparatory community of the archiepiscopal major seminary, member of the   
   diocesan council for economic affairs, and member of the Commission of   
   Religious Art. He is currently rector of the archiepiscopal seminary of Naples.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:   
   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
   Copyright (VIS):  the news contained in the services of the Vatican   
   Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting   
   the source:  V. I. S. - Vatican Information Service.   
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