The annual blossom came four days earlier than average this year but three days later than last year. The warmer than usual weather caused the early flowering. In Japanese culture the event has been important since the 9th century. Hanami are traditional festivals in which the Japanese and tourists fill streets and parks to see tree blossom.
When we say "thy will is done" in Our Father, we are asking that God’s quest to save us be successful. " “God is not ambiguous, he is not hiding behind enigmas, he has not planned the future of the world in an indecipherable manner." The pontiff prayed for flood victims in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
The Jesuit missionary from Macerata inaugurated an era that lasted for centuries and helped China to modernize and emerge from isolation. The 800 missionaries - including those from PIME - brought Western medicine, hospitals, girls schools, new agricultural crops, universities to China. Why Xi is not going to the Vatican. During the Cultural Revolution, the left-wing Italian parties praised Mao, hiding his massacres and failures. The fragility of Xi Jinping, opposed in China by the "leftist" fringes.
Francis authorizes the publication of the decree recognizing his martyrdom. He spent almost 30 years in the mountains of Myanmar, where he was killed in 1953. Fr. Brambillasca: A joy for the whole Institute, the Church of Myanmar and the Church of Cremona.
Francis met with members of the Camillian charismatic family. During the meeting, he told them to live and bear witness to the merciful love of Christ towards the sick, especially the poorest, to meet their physical and spiritual needs. Proclaiming the Kingdom of God and caring for the sick is the task that the whole Church has received from Jesus.
Give and it will be given to you. And it will be given to you in a good measure, full and overflowing, because the Lord will be generous: we give one and He will give us a hundred of all that we give. This is the attitude that prevents us from judging, from condemning and helps us to forgive.
At the Angelus, Pope Francis calls for a moment of silent prayer for those killed in the two mosques in Christchurch. The Christian vision of suffering is not "sadomasochistic". The Transfiguration shows that suffering "is a necessary but transitory passage". Prayer transforms people and makes them bright.
"It is a strong sign of hope when the social doctrine of the Church does not remain as a dead word or an abstract discourse, but rather becomes living thanks to men and women of good will, who give it flesh and concreteness, transforming it into personal and social gestures, concrete, visible and useful".
Beijing, along with other countries - such as: Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Mongolia, Ethiopia, South Africa, Cayman, Mexico, Brazil, India - have grounded the Boeing model aircraft, suspected of having construction defects. The USA awaits checks, along with other nations: Russia, Italy, Turkey, Iceland, Norway, Dubai, Oman, Fiji. The telegram of Pope Francis for the victims of the disaster.
Since the signing of the agreement, members of the non-official communities have been forced to join the PA and its "independent" Church project. It is said that the underground Church "must disappear". But Pope Francis’ message speaks only of "reconciliation". Card. Filoni demands that PA membership not be mandatory, as under Chinese law. But there are bishops and priests who acclaim unity through "erasing" the underground community. The time has come for clarity, perhaps in a meeting between Pope Francis and the Chinese president.
United States, Russia, France, Germany and China among the main exporters the. Washington remains the world leader in sales. 52% of US weapons go to the Middle East. Riyadh has increased the arms imports by 192%. Egypt ranked third with a 206% growth. Imports of weapons to Syria are decreasing by 87%.
During the Angelus, Pope Francis explained the Gospel of the first Sunday of Lent. The three temptations are: greed for possession, human glory, and the exploitation of God. Jesus does not talk with Satan, but answers only with the Word of God. The pontiff mentioned Angelo Cuartas and eight fellow martyred seminarians, killed "out of hatred for the faith” at “a time of religious persecution”. Today Francis and the Roman Curia begin spiritual exercises.
Pope Francis issued his Message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which this year will be celebrated on 12 May. The Lord’s call comes from being "surprised by an encounter". For the pontiff, "It is not a 'cage' or a burden to be borne.” At the same time though, “Do not yield to fear”. Mary’s “yes” has no guarantee other than “she was the bearer of a promise.”
Talking about human development means including everyone - not just the few - and to the whole human person, not just its material dimension. "We should all commit ourselves to promoting and implementing the development goals that are supported by our deepest religious and ethical values,” the pontiff said.
In a meeting with a delegation from the American Jewish Committee, Francis expressed “great concern” over “a climate of wickedness and fury” that has brought about an “outbreak of anti-Semitic attacks in various countries.” In his view, “for a Christian any form of antisemitism is a rejection of one’s own origins, a complete contradiction.”
