Let us pray that the Spirit help us recognize the gift of different charisms within the Christian community, and to discover the richness of different ritual traditions in the heart of the Catholic Church.

There is no need to fear the diversity of charisms in the Church. Rather, living this diversity should make us rejoice!

Diversity and unity were already very much present in the first Christian communities. The tension had to be resolved on a higher level.

But there’s more. To move forward on the journey of faith, we also need ecumenical dialogue with our brothers and sisters of other confessions and Christian communities.

This is not something confusing or disturbing, but is a gift God gives to the Christian community so it might grow as one body, the Body of Christ.

Let’s think, for example, of the Eastern Churches. They have their own traditions, their own characteristic liturgical rites…yet they maintain the unity of the faith. They strengthen it, not divide it.

If we are guided by the Holy Spirit, abundance, variety, diversity, never cause conflict.

The Holy Spirit reminds us first and foremost that we are children loved by God – everyone equal in God’s love, and everyone different.

Let us pray that the Spirit help us recognize the gift of different charisms within the Christian communities, and to discover the richness of different ritual traditions within the Catholic Church.

January 2024

Let us pray that the sick who are in the final stages of life, and their families, receive the necessary medical and human care and accompaniment.

When some people talk about terminal illnesses, there are two words they often confuse: incurable and un-carable. But they are not the same.

Even when little chance for a cure exists, every sick person has the right to medical, psychological, spiritual and human assistance.

Sometimes they can’t talk; sometimes we think they don’t recognize us. But if we take them by the hand, we know they are relating with us.

Healing is not always possible, but we can always care for the sick person, caress them.

Saint John Paul II used to say, “cure if it is possible; always take care.”

And this is where palliative care comes in. It guarantees the patient not only medical attention, but also human assistance and closeness.

Families should not be left alone in these difficult moments.

Their role is decisive. They need access to adequate means so as to provide appropriate physical, spiritual and social support.

Let us pray that the terminally ill and their families always receive the necessary medical and human care and assistance.

February 2024

Let us pray that those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world might imbue the Church with their courage and missionary drive.

This month, I want to tell you a story that is a reflection of the Church today. It is the story of a little-known witness of faith.

Visiting a refugee camp in Lesbos, a man told me, “Father, I am Muslim. My wife was Christian. Terrorists came to our place, looked at us and asked what our religion was. They approached my wife with a crucifix and told her to throw it on the ground. She didn’t do it, and they slit her throat in front of me.” That’s what happened.

I know he held no grudges. He was focused on his wife’s example of love, a love for Christ that led her to accept, and to be faithful to the point of death.

Brothers, sisters, there will always be martyrs among us. This is a sign that we’re on the right path.

A person who knows told me there are more martyrs today than at the beginning of Christianity.

The courage of the martyrs, the witness of the martyrs, is a blessing for everyone.

Let us pray that those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world might imbue the Church with their courage and missionary drive. And to be open to the grace of martyrdom.

March 2024

Let us pray that the dignity and worth of women be recognized in every culture, and for an end to the discrimination they face in various parts of the world.

In many parts of the world, women are treated like the first thing to get rid of.

There are countries where women are forbidden to access aid, open a business, or go to school. In these places, they are subject to laws that make them dress a certain way. And in many countries, genital mutilation is still practiced.

Let us not deprive women of their voice. Let us not rob all these abused women of their voice. They are exploited, marginalized.

In theory, we all agree that men and women have the same dignity as persons. But this does not play out in practice.

Governments need to commit to eliminate discriminatory laws everywhere and to work toward guaranteeing women’s human rights.

Let us respect women. Let us respect their dignity, their basic rights. And if we don’t, our society will not progress.

Let us pray that the dignity and worth of women be recognized in every culture, and for an end to the discrimination they face in various parts of the world.

April 2024

Let us pray that men and women religious, and seminarians, grow in their own vocational journey through human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, that leads them to be credible witnesses of the Gospel.

Every vocation is a “diamond in the rough” that needs to be polished, worked, shaped on every side.

A good priest, sister or nun, must above all else be a man, a woman who is formed, shaped by the Lord’s grace, people who are aware of their own limitations, and willing to lead a life of prayer, of dedicated witness to the Gospel.

Beginning in the seminary and the novitiate, their preparation must be developed integrally, in direct contact with the lives of other people. This is essential.

Formation does not end at a certain moment, but continues throughout life, integrating the person intellectually, humanly, affectively, spiritually.

There’s also preparation to live in community – life in community is so enriching, even though it can be difficult at times.

Living together is not the same as living in community.

Let us pray that men and women religious, and seminarians, grow in their own vocational journey through human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, that leads them to be credible witnesses of the Gospel.

May 2024

Let us pray that migrants fleeing from war or hunger, forced to undertake journeys fraught with danger and violence, may find welcome and new living opportunities in their host countries.

Dear brothers and sisters, this month I would like us to pray for people fleeing their own countries.

The feeling of uprootedness or not knowing where they belong often accompanies the trauma experienced by people who are forced to flee their homeland because of war or poverty.

What is more, in some destination countries, migrants are viewed as threats, with fear.

Then the spectre of walls appears – walls on the earth separating families, and walls in hearts.

Christians cannot share this vision. Whoever welcomes a migrant welcomes Christ.

We must promote a social and political culture that protects the rights and dignity of migrants, a culture that promotes the possibility that they can achieve their full potential, and integrates them.

A migrant needs to be accompanied, promoted, and integrated.

Let us pray that migrants fleeing from war or hunger, forced to undertake journeys fraught with danger and violence, may find welcome and new living opportunities.

June 2024

Let us pray that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick grant the Lord’s strength to those who receive it and to their loved ones, and that it may become for everyone an ever more visible sign of compassion and hope.

This month, let us pray for the pastoral care of the sick.

The Anointing of the Sick is not a sacrament only for those who are at the point of death. No. It is important that this is clear.

When the priest draws near a person to perform the Anointing of the Sick, it is not necessarily to help them say goodbye to life. Thinking this way means giving up every hope.

It means taking for granted that after the priest the undertaker will arrive.

Let us remember that the Anointing of the Sick is one of the “sacraments of healing,” of “restoration,” that heals the spirit.

And when a person is very ill, it’s advisable to give them the Anointing of the Sick. And when someone is elderly, it’s good that they receive the Anointing of the Sick.

Let us pray that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick grant the Lord’s strength to those who receive it and to their loved ones, and that it may become for everyone an ever more visible sign of compassion and hope.

July 2024

Let us pray that political leaders be at the service of their own people, working for integral human development and the common good, taking caring of those who have lost their jobs and giving priority to the poor.

Today, politics doesn’t have a very good reputation: corruption, scandals, distant from people’s day-to-day lives.

But, can we move ahead toward universal fraternity without good politics? No.

As Paul VI said, politics is one of the highest forms of charity because it seeks the common good.

I’m talking about POLITICS with all capital letters, not politicking. I’m talking about politics that listens to what is really going on, that’s at the service of the poor, not the kind that’s holed up in huge buildings with large hallways.

I’m speaking of the politics that’s concerned about the unemployed, and knows full well how sad a Sunday can be when Monday is just one more day not being able to work.

If we look at it this way, politics is much more noble than it appears.

Let’s be grateful for the many politicians who carry out their duties with a will to serve, not of power, who put all their efforts toward the common good.

Let us pray that political leaders be at the service of their own people, working for integral human development and the common good, taking caring of those who have lost their jobs and giving priority to the poorest.

August 2024

Let us pray that each of us listen with our hearts to the cry of the Earth and of the victims of environmental disasters and the climate crisis, making a personal commitment to care for the world we inhabit.

Let us pray for the cry of the Earth.

If we took the planet’s temperature, it will tell us that the Earth has a fever. And it is sick, just like anyone who’s sick.

But are we listening to this pain?

Do we hear the pain of the millions of victims of environmental catastrophes?

The ones suffering most from the consequences of these disasters are the poor, those who are forced to leave their homes because of floods, heat waves or drought.

Dealing with the environmental crisis caused by humans, such as climate change, pollution or the loss of biodiversity, begs responses that are not only ecological, but are also social, economic and political.

We must commit ourselves to the fight against poverty and the protection of nature, changing our personal and community habits.

Let us pray that each of us listen with our hearts to the cry of the Earth and of the victims of environmental disasters and climate change, making a personal commitment to care for the world we inhabit.

September 2024

Let us pray that the Church continue to sustain a synodal lifestyle in every way, as a sign of co responsibility, promoting the participation, communion and mission shared by priests, religious and laity.

We Christians are all responsible for the Church’s mission. Every priest. Everyone.

We priests are not the bosses of the laity, but their pastors. Jesus called us, one and others – not one above others, or one on one side and others on another side, but complementing each other. We are community. That is why we need to walk together, taking the path of synodality.

Sure, you could ask me, What can I do as a bus driver? A farmer? A fisher? What all of us need to do is to witness with our lives. Be co-responsible for the Church’s mission.

The laity, the baptized are in the Church, in their own home, and need to take care of it. So do we priests and consecrated persons. Everyone contributes what they know how to do best. We are co-responsible in mission, we participate and we live in the communion of the Church.

Let us pray that the Church continue to sustain a synodal lifestyle in every way, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, communion and mission shared by priests, religious and laity.

October  2024

Let us pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community, and may receive peace of heart from the Spirit of Consolation.

What can we say to parents who have lost a child? How can we console them?

There are no words.

You see, when one spouse loses the other, they are a widower or a widow. A child who loses a parent is an orphan. There’s a word for that. But when a parent loses a child, there’s no word. The pain is so great, that there’s no word.

And it’s not natural to outlive your child. The pain caused by this loss is especially intense.

Words of encouragement are at times banal or sentimental, they’re not helpful. Spoken with the best intention, of course, they can end up aggravating the wound.

To offer comfort to these parents who have lost a child, we need to listen to them, to be close to them with love, to care responsibly for the pain they feel, imitating how Jesus Christ consoled those who were afflicted.

And those parents who are sustained by their faith can certainly find comfort in other families who, by suffering such a terrible tragedy as this, have been reborn in hope.

Let us pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community, and may receive peace of heart from the Spirit of Consolation.

November  2024

Christian hope is a gift from God that fills our lives with joy.

And today, we need it a lot. The world really needs it a lot!

When you don’t know if you’ll be able to feed your children tomorrow, or if what you’re studying will allow you to get a good job, it’s easy to get discouraged.

Where can we look for hope?

Hope is an anchor – an anchor that you cast over with a rope to be moored on the shore.

We have to hold onto the rope of hope – hold on tight.

Let’s help each other discover this encounter with Christ who gives us life, and let’s set out on a journey as pilgrims of hope to celebrate that life. And entering into the upcoming Jubilee is the next stage within that life.

Day by day, let us fill our lives with the gift of hope that God gives us, and through us, let us allow it to reach everyone who is looking for it.

Don’t forget – hope never disappoints.

Let us pray that this upcoming Jubilee strengthen us in our faith, helping us to recognize the Risen Christ in the midst of our lives, transforming us into pilgrims of Christian hope.

December  2024