Faith means trusting in God’s goodness

Faith means trusting in God’s goodness

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) Oct. 25 ( Jeremiah 31:7-9; Psalm 126; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52)

The words of this prophecy sound far too joyful and positive to have come from Jeremiah. His prophecies were known for bitterness, lamentation, misery and predictions of doom. This prophecy, on the other hand, is alive with joy and a sense of a bright and happy future for God’s people.

Our overestimated grandiosity

Our overestimated grandiosity

There are now more than seven billion people on this Earth and each one of us feels that he or she is the centre of the universe. That accounts for most of the problems we have in the world, in our neighbourhoods, in our families.

Cardinals Thomas Collins of Toronto and Jorge Urosa Savino of Caracas, Venezuela, talk as they arrive for a session of the Synod of Bishops on the Family at the Vatican Oct. 14.

Synod calls for Bible-based presentation of God's plan for family

VATICAN CITY - As members of the Synod of Bishops concluded work on the second of three chapters in their working document, they continued to call for a tone and for language that is clear, simple and encourages people to see it is possible to live the vocation of marriage and family life.

Pope Francis leads his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Oct. 14.

Pope asks forgiveness for scandals in Rome, Vatican

VATICAN CITY - With 30,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis asked forgiveness for scandals that have occurred within the Church recently.

Pope Francis stands between Jewish and Muslim religious leaders during a prayer service at the ground zero 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York Sept. 25. Father John W. Crossin, executive director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said, "This event is symbolic and is iconic. It's a healing message."

Canadian bishop says 'Nostra Aetate' can help achieve peace, justice

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Second Vatican Council's declaration on the church's relations with non-Christian religions is helping Catholics to build a world of peace, said the chairman of the Canadian bishops' committee on interfaith relations.

Bishops leave a session of the Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican Oct. 9.

Cardinals’ secret letter to Francis warns of plot to rig reforms

VATICAN CITY - Tensions already roiling a high-level Vatican summit spilled into the open Oct. 12 with the publication of a letter allegedly sent to Pope Francis from 13 conservative cardinals warning of plots by progressives to hijack the proceedings.

The dining area is seen Oct. 8 inside Gift of Mercy, a shelter for homeless men, just a few hundred yards away from St. Peter's Square. Housed in a Jesuit-owned building, the shelter was created by and is run with funds from the papal almoner, who has taken a variety of initiatives to assist the homeless people in the area surrounding the Vatican.

Vatican inaugurates new homeless shelter for men

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican opened the “Gift of Mercy,” a shelter for homeless men, just a few hundred metres away from St. Peter’s Square.

Pope Francis talks with Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops on the family, before a session of the synod at the Vatican Oct. 9.

Synod surprises: Universal compassion, inaccurate coverage, couples say

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Two couples attending the Synod of Bishops on the family said what surprised them most about their first synod in Rome was reading inaccurate media coverage of the closed-door proceedings, the diversity of problems families face around the world and the synod fathers' great concern and compassion for the family.
Take a positive approach to families, synod members say

Take a positive approach to families, synod members say

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The first week of the Synod of Bishops on the family ended with near unanimous calls to be more positive in describing family life today and to show more appreciation for Catholic families living close to the church's ideals. But there were also widespread questions among synod participants about the work they are expected to produce.

Pope Francis asked the synod participants to devote their day's prayer to "the intention of reconciliation and peace in the Middle East."

Pope, synod join in prayers for peace in Middle East

VATICAN CITY - Gathered with a worldwide representation of bishops, including patriarchs and other bishops from the Middle East, Pope Francis dedicated the morning prayer of the Synod of Bishops on the family to pleas for peace in the Middle East.

It is the humble servant who is the true disciple

It is the humble servant who is the true disciple

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) Oct. 18 (Isaiah 53:10-11; Psalm 33; Hebrews 4:14-16; Mark 10:35-45)

Suffering is bad; it is to be feared and avoided at all costs. This is the heartfelt attitude of most people. Even though this is understandable, it is incomplete. To be sure, needless suffering should be alleviated or avoided. Masochistic self-indulgence has no place in a healthy spirituality. But there is a sort of suffering that has value, and that is suffering borne freely and willingly for the sake of others.

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