VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 1   
   DATE 04-01-2016   
      
   Summary:   
   - Angelus: open the doors of our heart to the Word of Jesus   
   - In joyful and sad moments, let us trust in the Lord   
   - Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of St. Mary Major   
   - Francis: we are called to immerse ourselves in the ocean of mercy   
   - Angelus: the enemy of peace is not only war, but also indifference   
   - Te Deum: good always prevails   
   - To the Pueri Cantores: "Let us not forget the hidden saints"   
   - Entry into force of agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine   
   - Other Pontifical Acts   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Angelus: open the doors of our heart to the Word of Jesus   
    Vatican City, 3 January 2016 (VIS) - On the first Sunday of the year and the   
   second after Christmas, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the   
   Vatican Apostolic Palace at midday to pray the Angelus with the faithful and   
   pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. "The Word - that is, the creative Word   
   of God - was made flesh, and dwelt among us", he said, referring to the   
   prologue   
   of the Gospel of St. John. "That Word, which dwells in heaven, that is, in the   
   dimension of God, came to earth so that we might listen and be able to know and   
   touch with our hand the love of the Father. The Word of God is the   
   Only-begotten   
   Son, made man, full of love and of faithfulness, Jesus Himself".   
    The Pope explained that the Evangelist "does not conceal the dramatic nature   
   of   
   the Incarnation of the Son of God, emphasising that the gift of God's love is   
   countered with its non-acceptance on the part of man. The World is light, but   
   men have preferred darkness;. They closed the door in the face of the Son of   
   God. It is the mystery of evil that undermines our life and that necessitates   
   vigilance and attention on our part, so that it does not prevail. The Book of   
   Genesis offers us a beautiful phrase that helps us to understand this: it says   
   that evil 'lies in wait at our door'. Woe to us if we allow it to enter, as it   
   would then close our door to anyone else. Instead we are called upon to throw   
   open the door of our heart to the Word of God, to Jesus, thus to become His   
   children".   
    The Holy Father reiterated that once again the Church invites us to welcome   
   the   
   Word of salvation, this mystery of light. "If we welcome Jesus, we will grow in   
   understanding and in the love of the Lord, and will learn to be merciful like   
   Him", he said. "Especially in this Holy Year of Mercy, let us be sure that the   
   Gospel becomes ever more incarnate in our own lives too. Approaching the   
   Gospel,   
   meditating on it and incarnating it in daily life is the best way of   
   understanding Jesus and bringing Him to others. This is the vocation and joy of   
   every baptised person - showing Jesus and bringing Him to others - but to do   
   this we must first know Him and have Him within us, as the Lord of our life. He   
   will defend us from evil, from the devil, who always lies in wait by our door   
   and wants to enter".   
    He concluded, "With the renewed zeal of filial abandon, let us entrust   
   ourselves yet again to Mary, whose sweet image as the Mother of Jesus and as   
   our   
   Mother we contemplate in the nativity during these days".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    In joyful and sad moments, let us trust in the Lord   
    Vatican City, 3 January 2016 (VIS) - After the Marian prayer, the Pope greeted   
   the pilgrims present and reiterated his hope for peace and good in the Lord.   
   "In   
   moments of joy and of sadness, let us trust in Him, our mercy and our hope".   
    He also mentioned the commitment we undertake on the first day of the year,   
   the   
   World Day of Peace: "overcome indifference and win peace". "With God's grace,   
   we   
   can put this into practice", he said, again encouraging those present to keep a   
   copy of the Gospel to hand at all times and to read a paragraph every day "to   
   know Jesus better, to open our heart to Jesus, and to enable others to know Him   
   better".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of St. Mary Major   
    Vatican City, 1 January 2016 (VIS) - On the afternoon of Friday, 1 January,   
   Pope Francis celebrated Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where he then   
   opened the Holy Door.   
    The following is the full text of the homily pronounced by the Holy Father:   
    "Salve, Mater Misericordiae! With this invocation we turn to the Blessed   
   Virgin   
   Mary in the Roman Basilica dedicated to her under the title of Mother of God.   
   It   
   is the first line of an ancient hymn which we will sing at the conclusion of   
   this Holy Eucharist. Composed by an unknown author, it has come down to us as a   
   heartfelt prayer spontaneously rising up from the hearts of the faithful: 'Hail   
   Mother of mercy, Mother of God, Mother of forgiveness, Mother of hope, Mother   
   of   
   grace and Mother full of holy gladness'. In these few words we find a summary   
   of   
   the faith of generations of men and women who, with their eyes fixed firmly on   
   the icon of the Blessed Virgin, have sought her intercession and consolation.   
    "It is most fitting that on this day we invoke the Blessed Virgin Mary above   
   all as Mother of mercy. The door we have opened is, in fact, a Door of Mercy.   
   Those who cross its threshold are called to enter into the merciful love of the   
   Father with complete trust and freedom from fear; they can leave this Basilica   
   knowing - truly knowing - that Mary is ever at their side. She is the Mother of   
   mercy, because she bore in her womb the very Face of divine mercy, Jesus,   
   Emmanuel, the Expectation of the nations, the 'Prince of Peace'. The Son of   
   God,   
   made incarnate for our salvation, has given us His Mother, who joins us on our   
   pilgrimage through this life, so that we may never be left alone, especially at   
   times of trouble and uncertainty.   
    "Mary is the Mother of God, she is the Mother of God who forgives, who bestows   
   forgiveness, and so we can rightly call her Mother of forgiveness. This word -   
   'forgiveness' - so misunderstood in today's world, points to the new and   
   original fruit of Christian faith. A person unable to forgive has not yet known   
   the fullness of love. Only one who truly loves is able to forgive and forget.   
   At   
   the foot of the Cross, Mary sees her Son offer Himself totally, showing us what   
   it means to love as God loves. At that moment she heard Jesus utter words which   
   probably reflected what He had learned from her as a child: 'Father, forgive   
   them; for they do not know what they are doing'. At that moment, Mary became   
   for   
   all of us the Mother of forgiveness. Following Jesus' example and by His grace,   
   she herself could forgive those who killed her innocent Son.   
    "For us, Mary is an icon of how the Church must offer forgiveness to those who   
   seek it. The Mother of forgiveness teaches the Church that the forgiveness   
   granted on Golgotha knows no limits. Neither the law with its quibbles, nor the   
   wisdom of this world with its distinctions, can hold it back. The Church's   
   forgiveness must be every bit as broad as that offered by Jesus on the Cross   
   and   
   by Mary at His feet. There is no other way. It is for this purpose that the   
   Holy   
   Spirit made the Apostles the effective ministers of forgiveness, so what was   
   obtained by the death of Jesus may reach all men and women in every age.   
    "The Marian hymn continues: 'Mother of hope and Mother of grace, Mother of   
   holy   
   gladness'. Hope, grace and holy gladness are all sisters: they are the gift of   
   Christ; indeed, they are so many names written on His body. The gift that Mary   
   bestows in offering us Jesus is the forgiveness which renews life, enables us   
   once more to do God's will and fills us with true happiness. This grace frees   
   the heart to look to the future with the joy born of hope. This is the teaching   
   of the Psalm: 'Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right   
   spirit   
   within me. [...] Restore to me the joy of your salvation'. The power of   
   forgiveness is the true antidote to the sadness caused by resentment and   
   vengeance. Forgiveness leads to joy and serenity because it frees the heart   
   from   
   thoughts of death, whereas resentment and vengeance trouble the mind and wound   
   the heart, robbing it of rest and peace. What horrible things are resentment   
   and   
   vengeance.   
    "Let us, then, pass through the Holy Door of Mercy knowing that at our side is   
   the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Mother of God, who intercedes for us. Let us   
   allow her to lead us to the rediscovery of the beauty of an encounter with her   
   Son Jesus. Let us open wide the doors of our heart to the joy of forgiveness,   
   conscious that we have been given new confidence and hope, and thus make our   
   daily lives a humble instrument of God's love.   
    "And with the love and affection of children, let us cry out to Our Lady as   
   did   
   the faithful people of God in Ephesus during the historic Council: 'Holy Mother   
   of God!' I invite you to repeat together this acclamation three times, aloud   
   and   
   with all your heart and with all your love: 'Holy Mother of God! Holy Mother of   
   God! Holy Mother of God!'".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Francis: we are called to immerse ourselves in the ocean of mercy   
    Vatican City, 1 January 2016 (VIS) - Today, solemnity of Holy Mary Mother of   
   God and the octave of Christmas, the Holy Father presided at Mass in the   
   Vatican   
   Basilica, concelebrated by cardinals, bishops and priests and attended by the   
   Pueri Cantores, who have concluded their fortieth International Congress. Today   
   is also the 49 th World Day of Peace, whose theme this year is "Overcome   
   difference and win peace".   
    The following is the full text of the homily pronounced by Pope Francis:   
    "We have heard the words of the Apostle Paul: 'When the fullness of time had   
   come, God sent his Son, born of a woman'. What does it mean to say that Jesus   
   was born in 'the fullness of time'? If we consider that particular moment of   
   history, we might quickly be deluded. Rome had subjugated a great part of the   
   known world by her military might. The Emperor Augustus had come to power after   
   five civil wars. Israel itself had been conquered by the Roman Empire and the   
   Chosen People had lost their freedom. For Jesus' contemporaries, it was   
   certainly not the best of times. To define the fullness of time, then, we   
   should   
   not look to the geopolitical sphere.   
    "Another interpretation is needed, one which views that fullness from God's   
   standpoint. It is when God decided that the time had come to fulfil His   
   promise,   
   that the fullness of time came for humanity. History does not determine the   
   birth of Christ; rather, His coming into the world enables history to attain   
   its   
   fullness. For this reason, the birth of the Son of God inaugurates a new era, a   
   new computation of time, the era which witnesses the fulfilment of the ancient   
   promise. As the author of the Letter to the Hebrews writes: 'God spoke to our   
   ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days He   
   has spoken to us by a Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom   
   He   
   also created the world. He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact   
   imprint of God's very being, and He sustains all things by His powerful word'.   
   The fullness of time, then, is the presence of God Himself in our history. Now   
   we can see His glory, which shines forth in the poverty of a stable; we can be   
   encouraged and sustained by His Word, made 'little' in a baby. Thanks to Him,   
   our time can find its fullness. The use of our personal time can also find its   
   fullness in the encounter with Jesus Christ, God made man.   
    "Nonetheless, this mystery constantly clashes with the dramatic experience of   
   human history. Each day, as we seek to be sustained by the signs of God's   
   presence, we encounter new signs to the contrary, negative signs which tend to   
   make us think instead that He is absent. The fullness of time seems to fade   
   before the countless forms of injustice and violence which daily wound our   
   human   
   family. Sometimes we ask ourselves how it is possible that human injustice   
   persists unabated, and that the arrogance of the powerful continues to demean   
   the weak, relegating them to the most squalid outskirts of our world. We ask   
   how   
   long human evil will continue to sow violence and hatred in our world, reaping   
   innocent victims. How can the fullness of time have come when we are witnessing   
   hordes of men, women and children fleeing war, hunger and persecution, ready to   
   risk their lives simply to encounter respect for their fundamental rights? A   
   torrent of misery, swollen by sin, seems to contradict the fullness of time   
   brought by Christ. Remember, dear pueri cantores, this was the third question   
   you asked me yesterday: how do we explain this... even children are aware of   
   this.   
    "And yet this swollen torrent is powerless before the ocean of mercy which   
   floods our world. All of us are called to immerse ourselves in this ocean, to   
   let ourselves be reborn, to overcome the indifference which blocks solidarity,   
   and to leave behind the false neutrality which prevents sharing. The grace of   
   Christ, which brings our hope of salvation to fulfilment, leads us to cooperate   
   with Him in building an ever more just and fraternal world, a world in which   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)