This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 10 September 2013 to 18 January 2014.
The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post at Jimmy Akin’s The Weekly Francis. Jimmy Akin came up with this idea when he started “The Weekly Benedict” and I have taken over curation of it.
Angelus
- 22 December 2013
- 26 December 2013 – Feast of Saint Stephen
- 29 December 2013 – Prayer to the Holy Family
- 1 January 2014 – Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
- 5 January 2014
- 6 January 2014 – Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
- 12 January 2014 – Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
General Audiences
Homilies
- 24 December 2013 – Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord
- 31 December 2013 – Celebration of First Vespers and Te Deum
- 1 January 2014 – Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
- 3 January 2014 – Holy Mass at the Church of the Gesù
- 6 January 2014 – Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
- 12 January 2014 – Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Letters
- 17 December 2013 – Letter to the Minister General of the Trinitarian Order on the 800th anniversary of the death of their founder St Juan de Mata
- 17 December 2013 – Letter to participants in the 13th Meeting of the Basic Ecclesial Communities in Brazil [Diocese of Crato, 7–11 January 2014]
- 12 January 2014 – Letter to those who will be created Cardinals at the upcoming Consistory of 22 February
Messages
- 9 December 2013 – Message on the occasion of the “Anti-Hunger Global Campaign” launched by Caritas Internationalis
- 25 December 2014 – Urbi Et Orbi
- 15 January 2014 – Message for the 51st World Day of Prayer for Vocations 2014
Speeches
- 10 September 2013 – Address of the Holy Father during the visit to “Centro Astalli” of Rome for the refugee service
- 2 December 2013 – To the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of the Netherlands on their “ad Limina” visit
- 6 December 2013 – To members of the International Theological Commission
- 7 December 2013 – To a delegation from the Dignitatis humanae Institute
- 7 December 2013 – To participants at the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Laity
- 13 December 2013 – To a group of pilgrims from Bavaria in St. Peter’s Square for the presentation of the gift of the Christmas tree
- 15 December 2013 – To the “Domenico Tardini” Community in Villa Nazareth
- 20 December 2013 – To a group of protocol officers of the Italian Republic and of the Embassy of Italy accredited to the Holy See
- 20 December 2013 – To a delegation of boys and girls of the Italian Catholic Action
- 13 January 2014 – To members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See
Daily Homilies (fervorinos)
- 23 December 2013 – Daily Mass at Casa Santa Marta
- 7 January 2014 – Test the spirits
- 9 January 2014 – Christian love is concrete
- 10 January 2014 – Friday Mass at Casa Santa Marta
- 11 January 2014 – The true priest and his relation to Christ
- 13 January 2014 – Pope Francis at Monday Mass
- 14 January 2014 – Four Models
- 16 January 2014 – Scandals happen when there is no true relationship with God
- 17 January 2014 – The Pope’s Mass at Santa Marta
Papal Tweets
- “Christmas celebrations are often full of sound. It would be good for us to make room for silence, to hear the voice of Love.” @pontifex, 23 December 2013
- “The Lord is coming. May we await him with open hearts!” @pontifex, 24 December 2013
- “Christ comes among us at Christmas: it is the perfect time for a personal encounter with the Lord.” @pontifex, 25 December 2013
- “Before the Nativity scene, may we pray in a particular way for those suffering persecution for the faith.” @pontifex, 26 December 2013
- “May the joy of the Gospel be always in our hearts, especially this Christmas.” @pontifex, 27 December 2013
- “Our Mother Mary is full of beauty because she is full of grace.” @pontifex, 30 December 2013
- “In the face of the Child Jesus we contemplate the face of God. Come, let us adore him!” @pontifex, 30 December 2013
- “Let us draw from the crib the joy and deep peace that Jesus comes to bring to the world.” @pontifex, 31 December 2013
- “God does not reveal himself in strength or power, but in the weakness and fragility of a newborn babe.” @pontifex, 2 January 2013
- “The Child Jesus reveals the tenderness of God’s immense love surrounding each one of us.” @pontifex, 3 January 2013
- “Dear young people, Jesus wants to be your friend, and wants you to spread the joy of this friendship everywhere.” @pontifex, 4 January 2013
- “Dear friends, I wish to thank you for the many kind Christmas greetings. May the Lord bless you all!” @pontifex, 5 January 2013
- “Let us leave a spare place at our table: a place for those who lack the basics, who are alone.” @pontifex, 7 January 2013
- “Let us contemplate the humility of the Son of God born into poverty. Let us imitate him by sharing with those who are weak.” @pontifex, 9 January 2013
- “May we stop before the Child of Bethlehem and allow the tenderness of God to warm our hearts.” @pontifex, 10 January 2013
- “No elderly person should be like an “exile” in our families. The elderly are a treasure for our society.” @pontifex, 11 January 2013
- “The Lord is knocking at the door of our hearts. Have we put a sign on the door saying: “Do not disturb”?” @pontifex, 13 January 2013
- “May we always say thank you to God, especially for his patience and mercy.” @pontifex, 14 January 2013
- “Let us pray for peace, and let us bring it about, starting in our own homes!” @pontifex, 16 January 2013
- “How powerful prayer is! May we never lose the courage to say: Lord, give us your peace.” @pontifex, 17 January 2013
- “Wars shatter so many lives. I think especially of children robbed of their childhood.” @pontifex, 18 January 2013
2 comments
Testing!
Great Prayer from His Holiness Jeff
URBI ET ORBI MESSAGE
OF POPE FRANCIS
CHRISTMAS 2013
Wednesday, 25 December 2013
Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom He favours (Lk 2:14)
Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the whole world, Greetings and Happy Christmas!
I take up the song of the angels who appeared to the shepherds in Bethlehem on the night when Jesus was born. It is a song which unites heaven and earth, giving praise and glory to heaven, and the promise of peace to earth and all its people.
I ask everyone to share in this song: it is a song for every man or woman who keeps watch through the night, who hopes for a better world, who cares for others while humbly seeking to do his or her duty.
Glory to God!
Above all else, this is what Christmas bids us to do: give glory to God, for HE is good, HE is faithful, He is merciful. Today I voice my hope that everyone will come to know the true face of God, the Father who has given U>S (usual sinners) Jesus. My hope is that everyone will feel God’s closeness, live in HIS presence, love HIM and adore HIM.
May each of U>S (usual sinners) give glory to God above all by our lives, by lives spent for love of HIM and of all our brothers and sisters.
Peace to mankind
True peace – we know this well – is not a balance of opposing forces. It is not a lovely “façade” which conceals conflicts and divisions. Peace calls for daily commitment, but making peace is an art, starting from God’s gift, from the grace which He has given us in Jesus Christ.
Looking at the Child in the manger, Child of peace, our thoughts turn to those children who are the most vulnerable victims of wars, but we think too of the elderly, to battered women, to the sick… Wars shatter and hurt so many lives!
Too many lives have been shattered in recent times by the conflict in Syria, fueling hatred and vengeance. Let U>S (usual sinners) continue to ask the Lord to spare the beloved Syrian people further suffering, and to enable the parties in conflict to put an end to all violence and guarantee access to humanitarian aid. We have seen how powerful prayer is! And I am happy today too, that the followers of different religious confessions are joining U>S (usual sinners) in our prayer for peace in Syria. Let U>S (usual sinners) never lose the courage of prayer! The courage to say: Lord, grant YOUR peace to Syria and to the whole world. And I also invite non-believers to desire peace with that yearning that makes the heart grow: all united, either by prayer or by desire. But all of U>S (usual sinners), for peace.
Grant peace, dear Child, to the Central African Republic, often forgotten and overlooked. Yet YOU, Lord, forget no one! And YOU also want to bring peace to that land, torn apart by a spiral of violence and poverty, where so many people are homeless, lacking water, food and the bare necessities of life.
Foster social harmony in South Sudan, where current tensions have already caused too many victims and are threatening peaceful coexistence in that young state.
Prince of Peace, in every place turn hearts aside from violence and inspire them to lay down arms and undertake the path of dialogue. Look upon Nigeria, rent by constant attacks which do not spare the innocent and defenseless. Bless the land where YOU chose to come into the world, and grant a favourable outcome to the peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
Heal the wounds of the beloved country of Iraq, once more struck by frequent acts of violence.
Lord of life, protect all who are persecuted for YOUR name. Grant hope and consolation to the displaced and refugees, especially in the Horn of Africa and in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Grant that migrants in search of a dignified life may find acceptance and assistance. May tragedies like those we have witnessed this year, with so many deaths at Lampedusa, never occur again!
Child of Bethlehem, touch the hearts of all those engaged in human trafficking, that they may realize the gravity of this crime against humanity.
Look upon the many children who are kidnapped, wounded and killed in armed conflicts, and all those who are robbed of their childhood and forced to become soldiers.
Lord of heaven and earth, look upon our planet, frequently exploited by human greed and rapacity.
Help and protect all the victims of natural disasters, especially the beloved people of the Philippines, gravely affected by the recent typhoon.
Dear brothers and sisters, today, in this world, in this humanity, is born the Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. Let U>S (usual sinners) pause before the Child of Bethlehem. Let U>S (usual sinners) allow our hearts to be touched, let U>S (usual sinners) not fear this. Let U>S (usual sinners) not fear that our hearts be moved. We need this! Let U>S (usual sinners) allow ourselves to be warmed by the tenderness of God; we need HIS caress. God’s caresses do not harm U>S (usual sinners). They give U>S (usual sinners) peace and strength. We need HIS caresses. God is full of LOVE: to HIM be praise and glory forever! God is peace: let U>S (usual sinners ask HIM to help U>S (usual sinners) to be peacemakers each day, in our life, in our families, in our cities and nations, in the whole world. Let U>S (usual sinners) allow ourselves to be moved by God’s Goodness.
Christmas greetings after the Urbi et Orbi Message:
To you, dear brothers and sisters, gathered from throughout the world in this Square, and to all those from different countries who join U>S (usual sinners) through the communications media, I offer my cordial best wishes for a merry Christmas!
On this day illumined by the Gospel hope which springs from the humble stable of Bethlehem, I invoke the Christmas gift of joy and peace upon all: upon children and the elderly, upon young people and families, the poor and the marginalized.
May Jesus, who was born for U>S (usual sinners), console all those afflicted by illness and suffering; may HE sustain those who devote themselves to serving our brothers and sisters who are most in need.
Happy Christmas to all!
AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU, YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS JEFF!
God Bless Peace