Oh, how I would like a poor Church, and for the poor.
The Lord is always there waiting to give us his love: it is an amazing thing, one which never ceases to surprise us!
If we wish to follow Christ closely, we cannot choose an easy, quiet life. It will be a demanding life, but full of joy.
When a society lacks God, even prosperity is joined by a terrible spiritual poverty.
Let the Church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven.
Do I pray that the Lord gives me the desire to do his will, or do I look for compromises because I’m afraid of God’s will?
Only by becoming poor ourselves, by stripping away our complacency, will we be able to identify with the least of our brothers and sisters.
We have observed that, in society and the world in which we live, selfishness has increased more than love for others, and that men of good will must work, each with his own strengths and expertise, to ensure that love for others increases until it is equal and possibly exceeds love for oneself.
Take good care of creation. St. Francis wanted that. People occasionally forgive, but nature never does. If we don’t take care of the environment, there’s no way of getting around it.
How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points? This is a case of exclusion.
Today everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless. As a consequence, masses of people find themselves excluded and marginalized: without work, without possibilities, without any means of escape.
In this system, which tends to devour everything which stands in the way of increased profits, whatever is fragile, like the environment, is defenseless before the interests of a deified market, which become the only rule.
Life is a journey. When we stop, things don’t go right.
In the poor and outcast we see Christ’s face; by loving and helping the poor, we love and serve Christ.
Let us learn from Christ how to pray, to forgive, to sow peace, and to be near those in need.
Seeking happiness in material things is a sure way of being unhappy.
Peace is the language we must speak.
Take care of God’s creation. But above all, take care of people in need.
One cannot proclaim the Gospel of Jesus without the tangible witness of one’s life. Those who listen to us and observe us must be able to see in our actions what they hear from our lips, and so give glory to God!
Like the Good Samaritan, may we not be ashamed of touching the wounds of those who suffer, but try to heal them with concrete acts of love.