VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - #   
   DATE 28-12-2015   
      
   Summary:   
   - ''Family Life: A Pilgrimage for Experiencing the Joy of Forgiveness''   
   - Angelus: The Holy Family: Domestic Church and True School of the Gospel   
   - Pope Calls Attention to Migrant Cubans in Difficulty   
   - Pope?s Message to Young Adults at the European Meeting of the Taize Community   
   - Telegram on the Attacks in the Philippines   
   - Pope?s Condolences on Gas Plant Accident in Nigeria   
   - Angelus: ''Never Tire of Asking for Divine Forgiveness''   
   - Christmas Message: ''Only God?s Mercy Can Free Humanity from the Many Forms   
   of   
   Evil''   
   - Christmas Eve Mass: ''The Mission of Making Known ''The Princeof Peace'''   
   - Other Pontifical Acts   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    ''Family Life: A Pilgrimage for Experiencing the Joy of Forgiveness''   
   Vatican City, 27 December 2015 (VIS) ? At 10:00 this morning, on the Feast of   
   the Holy Family, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St. Peter?s Basilica. During   
   the celebration, attended by Roman and pilgrim families for the Jubilee of   
   Family, he gave the following homily:   
   ''The biblical readings which we just heard presented us with the image of two   
   families on pilgrimage to the house of God. Elkanah and Hannah bring their son   
   Samuel to the Temple of Shiloh and consecrate him to the Lord. In the same way,   
   Joseph and Mary, in the company of Jesus, go as pilgrims to Jerusalem for the   
   feast of Passover.''   
   ''We often see pilgrims journeying to shrines and places dear to popular piety.   
   These days, many of them are making their way to the Holy Door opened in all   
   the   
   cathedrals of the world and in manyshrines. But the most beautiful thing which   
   emerges from the word of God today is that the whole family goes on pilgrimage.   
   Fathers, mothers and children together go to the house of the Lord, in order to   
   sanctify the holy day with prayer. It is an important teaching, which is meant   
   for our own families as well. Indeed, we could say that family life is a series   
   of pilgrimages, both small and big.''   
   ''For example, how comforting it is for us to reflect on Mary and Joseph   
   teaching Jesus how to pray! This is a sort of pilgrimage, the pilgrimage of   
   education in prayer. And it is comforting also to know that throughout the day   
   they would pray together, and then go each Sabbath to the synagogue to listen   
   to   
   readings from the Law and the Prophets, and to praise the Lord with the   
   assembly. Certainly, during their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, they prayed by   
   singing the Psalm: ?I was glad when they said to me, ''Let us go to the house   
   of   
   theLord!'' Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem?.''   
   ''How important it is for our families to journey together towards a single   
   goal! We know that we have a road to travel together; a road along which we   
   encounter difficulties but also enjoy moments of joy and consolation. And on   
   this pilgrimage of life we also share in moments of prayer. What can be more   
   beautiful than for a father and mother to bless their children at the beginning   
   and end of each day, to trace on their forehead the sign of the cross, as they   
   did on the day of their baptism? Is this not the simplest prayer which parents   
   can offer for their children? To bless them, that is, to entrust them to the   
   Lord, just like Elkanah and Anna, Joseph and Mary, so that he can be their   
   protection and support throughout the day. In the same way, it is important for   
   families to join in a brief prayer before meals, in order to thank the Lord for   
   these gifts and to learnhow to share what we have received with those in   
   greater   
   need. These are all little gestures, yet they point to the great formative role   
   played by the family in the pilgrimage of everyday life.''   
       
   ''At the end of that pilgrimage, Jesus returned to Nazareth and was obedient to   
   his parents. This image also contains a beautiful teaching about our families.   
   A   
   pilgrimage does not end when we arrive at our destination, but when we return   
   home and resume our everyday lives, putting into practice the spiritual fruits   
   of our experience. We know what Jesus did on that occasion. Instead of   
   returning   
   home with his family, he stayed in Jerusalem, in the Temple, causing great   
   distress to Mary and Joseph who were unable to find him. For this little   
   ?escapade?, Jesus probably had to beg forgiveness of his parents. The Gospel   
   doesn?t say this, but I believe that we can presume it. Mary?s question,   
   moreover, contains a certainreproach, revealing the concern and anguish which   
   she and Joseph felt. Returning home, Jesus surely remained close to them, as a   
   sign of his complete affection and obedience. Moments like these become part of   
   the pilgrimage of each family; the Lord transforms the moments into   
   opportunities to grow, to ask for and to receive forgiveness, to show love and   
   obedience.''   
   ''In the Year of Mercy, every Christian family can become a privileged place on   
   this pilgrimage for experiencing the joy of forgiveness. Forgiveness is the   
   essence of the love which can understand mistakes and mend them. How miserable   
   we would be if God did not forgive us! Within the family we learn how to   
   forgive, because we are certain that we are understood and supported, whatever   
   the mistakes we make.''   
   ''Let us not lose confidence in the family! It is beautiful when we can always   
   open our hearts to one another, and hide nothing. Where thereis love, there is   
   also understanding and forgiveness. To all of you, dear families, I entrust   
   this   
   most important mission ? the domestic pilgrimage of daily family life ? which   
   the world and the Church need, now more than ever.''   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Angelus: The Holy Family: Domestic Church and True School of the Gospel   
   Vatican City, 27 December 2015 (VIS) ? After celebrating the Mass for the Feast   
   of the Holy Family, the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study in the   
   Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's   
   Square. Before the Marian prayer, the Pope recalled this past September''s   
   meeting with families in Philadelphia, USA as well as all the families he has   
   met during his apostolic trips and all the families around the world with these   
   words:   
   ''I would like to greet you all with affection and gratitude, especially at   
   this   
   present time when the family is subjected to various kinds of misunderstandings   
   and difficulties that weaken it. Today's Gospel,'' he continued, ''invites   
   families to capture the light of hope coming from the house of Nazareth where   
   Jesus grew up injoyfulness.''   
   ''The family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is, for every believer and especially   
   for families, a true school of the Gospel. Here we admire the fulfillment of   
   God's plan to make the family a special community of life and love. Here we   
   learn that every Christian family is called to be a ?domestic church'', to make   
   the light of the Gospel virtues shine forth and to become leaven for the good   
   in   
   society. The typical characteristics of the Holy Family are meditation and   
   prayer, mutual understanding and respect, a spirit of sacrifice, labor, and   
   solidarity.''   
   ''Each family can draw valuable guidance for lifestyles and life choices and   
   can   
   draw strength and wisdom for the everyday journey from the example and witness   
   of the Holy Family. Our Lady and St. Joseph teach us how to welcome children as   
   a gift from God, to generate and educate them by cooperating in a wonderful way   
   with theCreator's work; giving the world a new smile with every child. It is in   
   the united family that children bring their existence to maturity, living a   
   meaningful and effective experience of gratuitous love, of tenderness, of   
   reciprocal respect, of mutual understanding, of forgiveness, and of joy.''   
   ''The true joy experienced in the family is not something casual or accidental.   
   It is a joy born of the profound harmony among persons, which gives us a taste   
   of the beauty of being together, of supporting one another along the journey of   
   life. But at the heart of that joy is always God's presence, his welcoming,   
   merciful, and patient love toward all. If the doors of the family are not   
   opened   
   to the presence of God and his love, the family loses its harmony, selfishness   
   prevails, and joy is extinguished. Instead, the family that lives the joy of   
   life, the joy of faith, spontaneously communicating it, is the salt of the   
   earth   
   and light of theworld. It is the leaven for all of society.''   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Pope Calls Attention to Migrant Cubans in Difficulty   
   Vatican City, 27 December 2015 (VIS) ? After praying the Angelus, Pope Francis   
   spoke on behalf of the ''numerous Cuban migrants who are in difficulty in   
   Central America,'' many of whom are victims of human trafficking. He called on   
   the countries in the region to generously renew the necessary efforts to   
   finding   
   a timely solution to this humanitarian tragedy.   
   At the same time, the pontiff also greeted the families and the pilgrims from   
   around the world present in the square, thanking them for their witness. He   
   thanked everyone for their well wishes and prayers.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Pope?s Message to Young Adults at the European Meeting of the Taize Community   
   Vatican City, 27 December 2015 (VIS) ? Pope Francis, through a telegram sent by   
   Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, addressed the participants in the   
   38th European Meeting of Young Adults organized by the Taize Community, which   
   will take place from Monday, 28 December 2015 until 1 January 2016, in   
   Valencia,   
   Spain.   
   The Holy Father encouraged the more than 30,000 expected participants to ''have   
   the courage of mercy, which will guide you not only to receive it in your lives   
   but also to be close to those who are in distress. You know that the Church is   
   here for all of humanity and where there are Christians everyone should find an   
   oasis of mercy. This,'' he emphasized, ''particularly applies to the many   
   migrants in such need of your welcome.'' The Pope also expressed his hope that   
   ''during thesebeautiful days ? you might better discover Christ, ?the face of   
   the Father?s mercy'', and he sent them his blessing.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Telegram on the Attacks in the Philippines   
   Vatican City, 27 December 2015 (VIS) ? Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro   
   Parolin sent a telegram of condolences on behalf of the Pope Francis to Msgr.   
   Giuseppe Pinto, apostolic nuncio in Manila, following the attacks on the island   
   of Mindanao, in the south of the country.   
   ''The Holy Father was deeply saddened to learn of the senseless killing of   
   innocent people in Mindanao, and he sends condolences to the families of those   
   who lost their lives. His Holiness prays that security and safety will be   
   established for all people in the region, so that dialogue, tolerance and peace   
   may enable each person to live free from fear. He asks all believers to reject   
   violence in the name of God who is love, and invokes abundant divine gifts of   
   consolation, mercy and strength upon those affected by this tragedy.''   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Pope?s Condolences on Gas Plant Accident in Nigeria   
   Vatican City, 27 December 2015 (VIS) ? Pope Francis, through Cardinal Secretary   
   of State Pietro Parolin, has sent the following telegram of condolences to   
   Msgr.   
   Augustine Kasuja, apostolic nuncio in Abuya, following the tragic accident that   
   occurred in the Nigerian city of Nnewi when a truck exploded in a gas plant.   
   ''The Holy Father was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic explosion at a gas   
   plant in Nnewi, in which so many people died or were seriously injured. He   
   sends   
   heartfelt condolences to the relatives of the deceased and injured, to the   
   authorities and to the entire Nation. His Holiness, commending the souls of the   
   departed to the tender mercy of God, invokes the abundant divine gifts of   
   consolation and strength upon those who mourn and upon all who have been   
   affected by this tragedy.''   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Angelus: ''Never Tire of Asking for Divine Forgiveness''   
   Vatican City, 25 December 2015 (VIS) ? ''Today we celebrate the Feast of St.   
   Stephen,'' said the Pope today at noon from the window of his study in the   
   Apostolic Palace, when he prayed the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St.   
   Peter?s Square. ''This memorial of the first martyr follows immediately after   
   the Solemnity of Christmas. Yesterday we contemplated the merciful love of God   
   who became man for us. Today we see the consistent response of Jesus? disciple   
   who gives his life. Yesterday, the Savior was born on earth; now his faithful   
   witness is born in heaven. Yesterday as today, the darkness of the denial of   
   life looms, but the light of love that overcomes hatred and inaugurates a new   
   world shines still stronger.''   
   ''There is a particular aspect in today?s story from the Acts of the Apostles   
   thatties St. Stephen to the Lord. It is the forgiveness he offered before he   
   died from being stoned. Nailed to the cross, Jesus said: ?Father, forgive them   
   for they know not what they do?. Likewise, Stephen ?bent his knees and cried   
   out: ''Lord, do not charge them with this sin''.? Stephen, therefore, is a   
   martyr, which means witness because he does as Jesus does. In fact, the true   
   witnesses are those who act as does Jesus: those who pray, those who love,   
   those   
   who give, but above all, those who forgive because forgiveness, as the word   
   implies, is the greatest expression of giving.''   
   ''But ? we might ask ? what is the use of forgiving?'' the pontiff continued.   
   ''Is it just a good deed or does it bring results? We find the answer precisely   
   in Stephen?s martyrdom. Among those for whom he begged forgiveness was a young   
   man named Saul who persecuted the Church and tried to destroy it.   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)