Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Feb. 6 (Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11)

Isaiah was terror stricken, for he found himself where he should not be — in the very presence of God. Never had he felt the vast gulf between humanity and divinity so acutely as he did when he witnessed and felt God’s glory and power within the divine throne room. He did not expect to survive the encounter.

VATICAN – Those who proclaim the Gospel must embrace humility and poverty to give an authentic witness to faith and not use others to climb the ladder of success, Pope Francis said.

It is easy for me to search the Internet for “experts” who will tell me exactly what I should do to fix my life this year. 

VATICAN – Christmas will not be authentic if people get caught up in a frenzy of shopping, presents and meals, all while ignoring the poor and forgetting who the celebration is really all about, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN – Scientists and people of faith always must admit they don't know everything, and they must never be afraid to explore and discover more, Pope Francis told astronomy students and experts.

VATICAN – Like a sprout, humility needs to be nourished so that the Holy Spirit may grow within all Christians, Pope Francis said.

Jesus entrusted his sheep to Peter, the most sinful of the remaining eleven apostles, and invited him to shepherd the People of God with humility and love, despite his mistakes and sins. That was Pope Francis’ message at Mass on Friday morning in the Casa Santa Marta.

The Gospel must be proclaimed with humility, overcoming the temptation of pride. That was the exhortation of Pope Francis at the morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta, on the feast of St Mark the Evangelist. Among those taking part in the Mass were the Cardinal counsellors of the C-9.

VATICAN CITY – During his Sunday (Feb. 26) visit to Rome’s Anglican parish of All Saints, which marked the first time a Roman Pontiff has set foot in an Anglican parish inside his own diocese, Pope Francis voiced gratitude for the good relations Catholics and Anglicans now enjoy, and said that on the path toward full communion, humility has to be the point of departure.

OTTAWA – Supreme Court of Canada Justice Russell Brown stressed the importance of humility to find the right balance of mercy and justice in a speech to Christian lawyers Sept. 22 in Ottawa.

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Aug. 28 (Sirach 3:17-20, 28-29; Psalm 68; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14)

The virtue of humility gets a lot of bad press. It is often seen as an invitation to be treated as a doormat or as a lack of self-esteem. Humility can also be used to oppress people by “keeping them in their place.”

Christian hope is a humble and strong virtue that supports us, so that we do not drown under the many difficulties we face in life. That was Pope Francis’ message at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. The Pope said that hope in the Lord never disappoints us; it’s a font of joy and peace in our hearts.

At the end of every Roman Catholic liturgy there is an invitation given to the people to receive a blessing. That invitation is worded this way: “Bow your heads and pray for God’s blessing.” The idea behind that, obviously, is that a blessing can only truly be received in reverence, in humility, with head bowed, with pride and arrogance subjugated and silent.

God’s ‘style’ is not man’s ‘style,’ because God triumphs through humility. That was Pope Francis’ message in his homily during daily Mass at the Casa Santa Marta.

God’s style can be seen in the death of the greatest of the prophets, St John the Baptist. This “just and holy man,” the “greatest man,” the man who had prepared the people for the coming of the Messiah, was beheaded in the darkness of his cell, alone, condemned by the vindictive hatred of a queen and the cowardice of a submissive king.

Pope Francis’ Homily at Daily Mass – February 1, 2016
Humility, holiness come with humiliation

Humility is the way of holiness. That’s what Pope Francis said in his Homily at Monday morning’s Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. The Pope focused on the story of King David who, aware of his own sin, accepts humiliation in a spirit of trust in the Lord. While God forgives sin, the Pope observed, “the wounds of corruption are difficult to heal."