martedì 22 luglio 2025

ST. AUGUSTINE TEACHER

 


St. Augustine, 

schoolteacher, 

teacher of faith 

and Christian orator




- by Father Giuseppe Oddone *

 The Election of Leo XIV: An Invitation to Draw Closer to St. Augustine

 Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, former General of the Augustinian Order from 2001 to 2013, and then missionary bishop in the diocese of Chiclayo in Peru from 2014 to 2023, was elected Pope on May 8, 2025. He was finally recalled to Rome by Pope Francis in January 2023 and appointed Prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops, President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, and created Cardinal on September 20, 2023. He took the name Leo XIV. The election of a spiritual son of Saint Augustine as Supreme Pontiff represents an invitation to deepen the profound and meaningful bond he has with this Saint. It is an inner affinity that immediately manifested itself in various ways: first and foremost as a religious man, because his spiritual formation was and continues to be directly inspired by the life, writings, and spirituality of the great Doctor of the Church, who emphasized community life, the search for God, interiority, fraternal love, and service to the Church. Before becoming Pope, as Superior General, Fr. Robert Francis Prevost was moderator and director of the Augustinianum Patristic Institute in Rome. This institute is a leading center of study specializing in patristics, with a particular focus on the works and spirituality of St. Augustine. In the early years of his priesthood, after his academic training, from 1988 to 1999, the current Pope served as a formator of seminarians in Peru, in the diocese of Trujillo, and as a teacher of Canon Law, Patristics, and Morals, modernizing the figure of St. Augustine as a teacher. The episcopal and papal coat of arms of Leo XIV is typically Augustinian: beneath the papal tiara and the two keys, one gold and the other silver, signs of papal power, the heraldic shield is divided transversely into two parts: above, on a blue field, a lily, the traditional symbol of the Virgin Mary; below, on a white field, the red book, which represents both the word of God and the works of Saint Augustine; the book is surmounted by a purple-red heart crowned with flames and pierced by an arrow. This is a clear reference to Sacred Scripture and its allegorical interpretation, which refers to the human heart as the target of God's love: Lam . 3,1: “ Posuisti quasi signum ad sagittam ” (You have placed me as a target for your arrow) and to Confessions IX,2,3: “ Sagittaveras tu cor meum charitate tua ” (You have pierced my heart with your love). The episcopal and papal motto of Pope Leo is also taken from Saint Augustine and alludes to the mystery of the Church as Christus totus , the mystical body of Christ: In Illo Uno Unum (Exposition on Psalm 127:3) or “in that One (Christ) we are one”. With these words, Augustine underlines the unity of Christians in Christ, despite their multiplicity. This motto is a clear sign of Augustine’s influence on his pontificate and on his vision of the Church. Even when he presented himself on the loggia of Saint Peter’s he quoted another famous Augustinian phrase, which served as the backdrop to his entire speech: For you I am a bishop, with you I am a Christian. It is taken from a speech by Augustine, which sums up his pastoral method and which is worth quoting in its entirety: “At the moment in which I fear to be for you, I am consoled by the fact of being with you. For you I am a bishop, with you I am a Christian. That name is a sign of the office received, this of grace, that is an occasion of danger, this of salvation." (Sermo 340,1).

Augustine schoolteacher

Augustine was born in Tagaste, in present-day Algeria, in 354 AD. His initial training was in grammar and rhetoric, fundamental disciplines in Roman education of the time, which guided him toward political and legal careers. From a young age, he displayed a keen intelligence and an innate aptitude for Latin, distinguishing himself for his ability to understand and manipulate language with wordplay, parallelisms and antitheses, rhymes and assonances, musical and rhythmic clauses to conclude a sentence, his mastery of various oratorical styles, and his attentiveness to his audience. He studied the manuals of the great Latin rhetoricians, particularly Cicero and Quintilian, and he especially loved the poet Virgil, absorbing his style and depth of thought. This classical foundation, though initially aimed at a secular career, proved fundamental to his future work as a teacher, and later as a preacher and writer, providing him with the tools to express complex concepts clearly and effectively. As a bishop, he himself wrote a comprehensive treatise on rhetoric, De doctrina. christiana , addressed in particular to all those who have teaching and preaching roles in the Church. After his initial studies, he expanded his education in Tagaste and Madaura and completed it in Carthage.

Augustine then embarked on a career as a rhetoric instructor and began his teaching career: this lasted thirteen years, from 373 to 386, first in Thagaste, then in Carthage, then one of the most important cities of the Roman Empire, where he worked for several years. Here his reputation grew rapidly, attracting numerous students. However, dissatisfied with the moral conduct of his students and the superficiality of his colleagues, he decided to move. His next stop was Rome, where he hoped to find more disciplined students and a more stimulating environment. Although his Roman experience was not entirely without disappointments, it was a period of further professional growth. His search for a more prestigious position eventually took him to Milan, which at the time was the de facto capital of the Western Empire. There, in 384 AD, he obtained the imperial chair of rhetoric, the most prestigious of all. His time as a teacher in this city not only honed his oratory skills, but also allowed him to delve deeper into the dynamics of communication and learning. Milan proved to be a decisive turning point in his life. He came into contact with Bishop Ambrose; he was profoundly influenced by his preaching and intellectual depth, and in 387 Augustine converted to Christianity and was baptized.

Augustine, teacher of faith and Christian orator

Having become a Christian and later a priest and bishop, Augustine reconsidered his teaching. He confessed that in the past he had sold a victorious eloquence and had served vanity. He felt the need to scale back the ideals of the school of which he had been a disciple and teacher, to place himself at the service not of vanity and worldly success, but of truth; he proposed a new model of teacher and orator with a cultural background drawn not only from the disciplines of rhetoric, but above all from faith and Sacred Scripture. From this perspective, the Christian teacher's primary task is to enlighten the mind, to penetrate the heart of the student or listener, and to inspire faith. For this reason, he must first experience the ascent to God: an interior journey, a navigation, a race, a climb up the ladder of beings until he personally touches God in Jesus Christ, the Word of God. But the Word descended to us in the mystery of creation, the incarnation, Sacred Scripture, the Church, the poor, and continues to descend in Christian teaching and preaching. The Christian teacher or orator, sometimes with personal suffering but always in charity, must humble himself with the little ones, adapting to their language and their understanding. Between teacher and disciple, between preacher and orator, a form of mutual indwelling must be created that fosters an intimate exchange of feelings and concepts. The love of Christ, who humbled himself to death on the cross, is the soul and motivation of all teaching and preaching: all of us, teacher and students, preachers and listeners, are his fellow disciples. Christ also revolutionized language, which must be essentially humble, because it is a message of salvation addressed to all men, especially the least and the marginalized, usually described in traditional pagan rhetoric with a contemptuous and caricatural language.

The Christian orator and the distinction between the three styles

Augustine recognizes the importance and necessity of the sermo humilis for Christian preaching. The main idea is that human speech must reflect the word of the living God, which descends and penetrates like a sword to the marrow of the soul and like a plow into the field of the heart. However, he does not reject rhetoric, but Christianizes it. For him, the beauty and effectiveness of language are not ends, but tools at the service of divine truth. He therefore returns to the traditional distinction of classical rhetoric: the simple style if you need to teach, the moderate or moderate style if you want to delight and please the audience, the sublime style if you need to persuade. However , an effective preacher must be able to switch easily from one style to another depending on the topic and the desired effect on the audience. All of Augustine's sermons manifest this flexibility, and demonstrate how rhetoric, far from being an empty technique, can be a powerful vehicle for truth and salvation. A Christian preacher or writer must be able to vary his style depending on his objectives. His suggestions can also be useful for teachers facing diverse classes or in particular emotional situations.

The humble or simple style

The Christian orator predominantly uses a simple style when teaching and presenting the mysteries of faith to believers or explaining Sacred Scripture. This requires a familiar, conversational tone that bridges distances and is sensitive to emotional reactions. Augustine also seeks to establish a dialogue with his audience, making them actors rather than listeners; at times, he even engages in dialogue with the New Testament figures being discussed, such as Peter, Paul, Martha, and Zacchaeus. Then there is the dialectical and argumentative aspect, which awakens the intelligence, presenting the truth of faith with clarity and simplicity of language and resolving difficulties, primarily for believers along the lines of crede ut intelligas : an invitation to ignite one's faith in order to understand. For Augustine, faith strengthens intelligence. The simple style makes particular use of the sentence, that is, an unexpected, sharp, and penetrating phrase, sustained by intense emotion, which brings together two opposite poles: time and eternity, misery and mercy, earthly suffering and heavenly bliss, sin and grace, man and God. The middle or temperate style. Augustine also appreciated the middle style, which was much sought after by his listeners. Its purpose was to please and delight listeners, and it was particularly used in celebrating Christian feasts: the mystery of the Trinity, the Incarnation with the relationship between the human and divine natures in Christ, the birth of Jesus, his earthly life, the Passion, the Resurrection, the beauty of creation. This style does not have an autonomous function, as it did for pagan orators and sophists, but is always at the service of the simple style that teaches, or the sublime style that persuades. In creating beauty and delight, the middle style employs several techniques of which Augustine is an unsurpassed master and model: parallelism of structure and thought, figures of rhythm and sound with alliteration and assonance, the antitheses inherent in the very structure of the Christian faith, and gradations, generally with simple and very short sentences that insistently hammer home an idea, echoing one another and becoming imprinted in the memory through rhythmic clauses and rhyme, leading the listener from external delight to the truth expressed in the Christian mystery. The Sublime Style When the Christian orator must convert or inspire love of God and of one's brothers or sorrow for scandals in the Church, he adopts a new form of style, the sublime style. It presupposes an intense emotional charge, an inner suffering in the face of the errors of Christians caught up in avarice, lust, and scandal. In the sublime style, fervor of soul is essential: rhetorical ornaments are not directly sought, but arise from emotional impetus. Typically, one resorts almost unconsciously to figures of thought such as insistent and broken questions, apostrophes to listeners, illuminating metaphors, examples from the past, accumulations of terms with enumerations and paradoxes, in some cases biting irony, but also anaphoras and epiphoras, that is, sentences that begin and end with the same word. It is important to reconstruct and demolish the psychological defense mechanisms that the listener unconsciously experiences. Augustine employs sublime style in some of his sermons, particularly when he seeks, without moralistic acidity but with brotherly compassion, to dissuade Christians from avarice, adultery, sexual disorder, the plague of prostitution and immoral entertainment, proposing and demolishing the motivations of his listeners who believed this to be a sign of civilization and freedom. With equally intense emotional charge, with a rhythm broken as if by a sob, Augustine addresses his faithful and those who had sought refuge in the province of Africa, speaking of the destruction of Rome in 410 at the hands of Alaric, and demonstrating the falsity of the objections of those who blamed the Christians for this enormous misfortune, a sign of the empire's decline. It must be added, however, that a good Christian orator knows how to vary the styles within his speech and move from an ornate and empathetic style, predominantly in the introduction, to a simple style in presenting Christian truth, to arrive at the sublime style in persuading listeners to concretely live their faith. A final Augustinian observation: to be a good Christian orator, you must first be a prayerful person, because we and our speeches are in God's hands. It is the Spirit of God who "in that hour," the hour of our address to our brothers, intervenes in the orator's words and makes them effective.

*AIMC and UCIIM national ecclesiastical assistent


 

mercoledì 16 luglio 2025

A VOICE OF REASON -


 Verein katholischer deutscher Lehrerinnen

e.V. (VkdL)

de - en - fr - es  


PRESSE-INFORMATION

 

Unterstützung für Bischof Robert Barron: Eine Stimme der Vernunft verdient Anerkennung – Kritik darf nicht zur Einschränkung der Meinungsfreiheit führen Essen, 16. Juli 2025 - Mit großer Freude und voller Überzeugung begrüßt der VkdL die Verleihung des renommierten Josef-Pieper-Preises an den US-amerikanischen Bischof Robert Barron. Als intellektuell profilierter Theo-loge, versierter Prediger und Initiator zahlreicher missionarischer Projekte verkörpert Bischof Barron wie kaum ein anderer den Geist Josef Piepers: die Verbindung von Glauben, Vernunft und kulturellem Engagement.

Umso befremdlicher nehmen wir die öffentliche Kritik u. a. des Diözesan- komitees, der kfd (Katholische Frauengemeinschaft Deutschlands) sowie einiger Münsteraner Professoren und insbesondere die geplante Mahnwache wahr, zu welcher der BDKJ (Bund der Deutschen Katholischen Jugend) aufgerufen hat. Diese Proteste richten sich nicht gegen ein konkretes Fehl-verhalten, sondern gegen die theologische und gesellschaftliche Position-ierung Bischof Barrons – eine Position, die tief in der kirchlichen Lehre ver-wurzelt ist und innerhalb des Spektrums legitimer katholischer Mein-ungsäußerung steht.

Die Preisverleihung an Bischof Barron ist keine Provokation, sondern eine Würdigung seines geistlichen und intellektuellen Beitrags zur gegen-wärtigen Kirche. In einer Zeit wachsender Polarisierung innerhalb wie außer-halb der Kirche mahnt er zur Besonnenheit, zur Treue zur Tradition und zu einer konstruktiven Auseinandersetzung mit den Herausforderungen unserer Zeit.

Wir sehen in der geplanten Mahnwache und den damit verbundenen öffent-lichen Angriffen nicht nur eine Geringschätzung des Preisträgers, sondern auch eine besorgniserregende Tendenz zur Einschränkung der Meinungs-freiheit innerhalb der Kirche. Pluralität und Dialog sind dann glaubwürdig, wenn sie auch Stimmen aushalten, die nicht dem Mainstream folgen –gerade dann, wenn sie argumentativ stark und pastoral verantwortet auftreten.

Wir rufen daher zur Sachlichkeit, zur gegenseitigen Achtung und zur offenen Debatte auf. Bischof Barron verdient Respekt – nicht nur wegen seiner herausragenden intellektuellen Leistungen, sondern auch wegen seines unermüdlichen Einsatzes für eine missionarische Kirche, die nicht sich selbst, sondern Christus verkündet.

Die Verleihung des Josef-Pieper-Preises ist ein starkes Zeichen für die Freih-eit des Denkens innerhalb der katholischen Kirche. Wir stehen geschlossen hinter dieser Entscheidung.

info@vkdl.de

PRESS RELEASE

 

Support for Bishop Robert Barron: A voice of reason deserves recognition – criticism must not lead to a restriction of freedom of expression. Essen, July 16, 2025 – The Association of Catholic Churches (VkdL) welcomes with great joy and full conviction the awarding of the prestigious Josef Pieper Prize to the US Bishop Robert Barron. As an intellectually distinguished theologian, accomplished preacher, and initiator of numerous missionary projects, Bishop Barron embodies the spirit of Josef Pieper like no other: the combination of faith, reason, and cultural commitment.

 We therefore find the public criticism from, among others, the Diocesan Committee, the kfd (Catholic Women's Association of Germany), and several Münster professors all the more disconcerting, and especially the planned vigil called for by the BDKJ (Federation of German Catholic Youth). These protests are not directed against specific misconduct, but against Bishop Barron's theological and social stance—a position deeply rooted in Church doctrine and within the spectrum of legitimate Catholic expression.

The award to Bishop Barron is not a provocation, but rather an appreciation of his spiritual and intellectual contribution to the contemporary Church. In a time of growing polarization within and outside the Church, he urges prudence, loyalty to tradition, and a constructive engagement with the challenges of our time.

We see the planned vigil and the associated public attacks not only as a disregard for the award winner, but also as a worrying trend toward restricting freedom of expression within the Church. Plurality and dialogue are credible when they also tolerate voices that do not follow the mainstream—especially when they present strong arguments and act with pastoral responsibility.

We therefore call for objectivity, mutual respect, and open debate. Bishop Barron deserves respect – not only for his outstanding intellectual achievements, but also for his tireless commitment to a missionary Church that proclaims Christ, not itself.

The awarding of the Josef Pieper Prize is a strong sign of freedom of thought within the Catholic Church. We stand united behind this decision.

 

info@vkdl.de

 

COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE

 

Soutien à l'évêque Robert Barron : une voix de la raison mérite d'être reconnue - la critique ne doit pas conduire à une restriction de la liberté d'expression Essen, le 16 juillet 2025 - C'est avec une grande joie et une pleine conviction que le VkdL salue l'attribution du prestigieux prix Josef Pieper à l'évêque américain Robert Barron. En tant que théologien intellectuellement distingué, prédicateur accompli et initiateur de nombreux projets missionnaires, l'évêque Barron incarne l'esprit de Josef Pieper comme aucun autre : le lien entre la foi, la raison et la culture.

Fiançailles.

Nous trouvons les critiques publiques, entre autres, d’autant plus étranges. du comité diocésain, de la kfd (Association des femmes catholiques d'Allemagne) ainsi que de quelques professeurs de Münster et en particulier de la veillée prévue, demandée par la BDKJ (Association de la jeunesse catholique allemande). Ces protestations ne sont pas dirigées contre une faute particulière, mais contre la position théologique et sociale de l’évêque Barron – une position qui est profondément enracinée dans la doctrine de l’Église et qui s’inscrit dans le spectre de l’expression catholique légitime.

L’attribution de ce prix à l’évêque Barron n’est pas une provocation, mais une reconnaissance de sa contribution spirituelle et intellectuelle à l’Église contemporaine. À une époque de polarisation croissante à l’intérieur et à l’extérieur de l’Église, il appelle à la prudence, à la loyauté envers la tradition et à un engagement constructif face aux défis de notre temps.

Nous voyons dans la veillée prévue et les attaques publiques qui y ont été associées non seulement un manque de respect envers le lauréat, mais aussi une tendance inquiétante à restreindre la liberté d’expression au sein de l’Église. La pluralité et le dialogue sont crédibles lorsqu’ils tolèrent également des voix qui ne suivent pas le courant dominant – en particulier lorsqu’elles présentent des arguments solides et des déclarations pastoralement responsables.

Nous appelons donc à l’objectivité, au respect mutuel et au débat ouvert. L’évêque Barron mérite le respect – non seulement pour ses réalisations intellectuelles exceptionnelles, mais aussi pour son engagement inlassable envers une Église missionnaire qui proclame le Christ, et non elle-même.

L’attribution du prix Josef Pieper est un signe fort de liberté de pensée au sein de l’Église catholique. Nous sommes unis derrière cette décision.

info@vkdl.de

 

PRESIONE SOLTAR

 

Apoyo al obispo Robert Barron: Una voz de la razón merece reconocimiento – la crítica no debe conducir a una restricción de la libertad de expresión Essen, 16 de julio de 2025 - Con gran alegría y plena convicción, la VkdL acoge con satisfacción la concesión del prestigioso Premio Josef Pieper al obispo estadounidense Robert Barron. Como teólogo intelectualmente distinguido, predicador consumado e iniciador de numerosos proyectos misioneros, el obispo Barron encarna el espíritu de Josef Pieper como ningún otro: la conexión entre la fe, la razón y la cultura.

Compromiso.

Nos parecen aún más extrañas las críticas públicas, entre otras. del comité diocesano, de la kfd (Asociación de Mujeres Católicas de Alemania), así como de algunos profesores de Münster y, en particular, de la vigilia prevista, que había convocado la BDKJ (Asociación de Jóvenes Católicos Alemanes). Estas protestas no están dirigidas contra ninguna conducta específica, sino contra la posición teológica y social del obispo Barron, una posición que está profundamente arraigada en la doctrina de la Iglesia y cae dentro del espectro de la expresión católica legítima.

El premio al obispo Barron no es una provocación, sino un reconocimiento a su contribución espiritual e intelectual a la Iglesia contemporánea. En un tiempo de creciente polarización tanto dentro como fuera de la Iglesia, él llama a la prudencia, a la lealtad a la tradición y a un compromiso constructivo con los desafíos de nuestro tiempo.

En la vigilia planificada y los ataques públicos asociados a ella no sólo vemos una falta de respeto hacia el ganador del premio, sino también una preocupante tendencia a restringir la libertad de expresión dentro de la Iglesia. La pluralidad y el diálogo son creíbles cuando también toleran voces que no siguen la corriente principal, especialmente cuando presentan argumentos fuertes y declaraciones pastoralmente responsables.

Por eso pedimos objetividad, respeto mutuo y debate abierto. El obispo Barron merece respeto, no sólo por sus destacados logros intelectuales, sino también por su incansable compromiso con una iglesia misionera que proclama a Cristo, no a sí misma.

La concesión del Premio Josef Pieper es un fuerte signo de libertad de pensamiento dentro de la Iglesia Católica. Nos mantenemos unidos detrás de esta decisión.

info@vkdl.de



 

 

EECO - BULLETIN n° 50

                                    


EQUIPES ENSEIGNANTES DU CONGO    

 Membre de l'UMEC-WUCT       

        Tel : 069103886/066201410/065948394/055305772

             E-mail : equipesbrazza@gmail.com

        RC: N°001247/MID/DPN/SG/DDSP/SR

 


Feuillet de FORMATION et d’INFORMATION N°50 MARS 2025 – JUIN  2025- EECO

Produit par les Equipes Enseignantes du Congo

………………………………………………………….

NOTRE MOUVEMENT

Le Mouvement des Equipes Enseignantes adressé à tout chrétien œuvrant pour l’éducation a pour objectifs de développer un réseau d’amitié et de prière ainsi que d’enrichir la formation humaine et spirituelle des éducateurs.

Les Equipes Enseignantes permettent à des enseignants (public comme privé), des parents, des responsables de mouvements, des éducateurs spécialisés, de partager leur expérience, leurs difficultés et leurs espérances lors de rencontres régulières ou ponctuelles.

Le Mouvement des Equipes Enseignantes s’efforce de développer des liens spirituels entre ses membres pour construire une unité réelle fondée sur la charité et la prière. Il offre aux éducateurs une formation qu’il puise dans le trésor des traditions éducatives et de l’enseignement de l’Eglise catholique. Il veut promouvoir la vision chrétienne de l’homme. Il est au service de tout chrétien qui, en raison de sa vocation baptismale, accompagne des jeunes en tant qu’éducateur pour lui permettre d’approfondir et de fortifier sa vocation spécifique.

Parce que le Mouvement des Equipes Enseignantes n’a pas sa fin en elle-même, elle souhaite encourager chaque éducateur dans le contexte qui est le sien. Dans cet esprit, il encourage toutes les initiatives locales et collabore ponctuellement ou régulièrement avec d’autres mouvements, institutions ou diocèses.

BONNES VACANCES 

Pelage UWIMANA  

Equipier OUESSO

                  


EECO - BULLETIN 50 - 2025



domenica 13 luglio 2025

SIGNS OF HOPE


 MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER

FOR THE 5th WORLD DAY 

FOR GRANDPARENTS 

AND THE ELDERLY 2025


[27 July 2025]

__________AR  - DE  - EN  - ES  - FR  - IT  - PL  - PT ]______________________

Blessed are those who have not lost hope (cf. Sir 14:2)

Dear brothers and sisters,

The Jubilee we are now celebrating helps us to realize that hope is a constant source of joy, whatever our age. When that hope has also been tempered by fire over the course of a long life, it proves a source of deep happiness.

Sacred Scripture offers us many examples of men and women whom the Lord called late in life to play a part in his saving plan. We can think of Abraham and Sarah, who, advanced in years, found it hard to believe when God promised them a child. Their childlessness seemed to prevent them from any hope for the future.

Zechariah’s reaction to the news of John the Baptist’s birth was no different: “How can this be? I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years” (Lk 1:18). Old age, barrenness and physical decline apparently blocked any hope for life and fertility in these men and women. The question that Nicodemus asked Jesus when the Master spoke to him of being “born again” also seems purely rhetorical: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (Jn 3:4). Yet whenever we think that things cannot change, the Lord surprises us with an act of saving power.

The elderly as signs of hope

In the Bible, God repeatedly demonstrates his providential care by turning to people in their later years. This was the case not only with Abraham, Sarah, Zechariah and Elizabeth, but also with Moses, who was called to set his people free when he was already eighty years old (cf. Ex 7:7). God thus teaches us that, in his eyes, old age is a time of blessing and grace, and that the elderly are, for him, the first witnesses of hope. Augustine asks, “What do we mean by old age?” He tells us that God himself answers the question: “Let your strength fail, so that my strength may abide within you, and you can say with the Apostle, ‘When I am weak, then I am strong’” (Super Ps. 70,11). The increasing number of elderly people is a sign of the times that we are called to discern, in order to interpret properly this moment of history.

The life of the Church and the world can only be understood in light of the passage of generations. Embracing the elderly helps us to understand that life is more than just the present moment, and should not be wasted in superficial encounters and fleeting relationships. Instead, life is constantly pointing us toward the future. In the book of Genesis, we find the moving episode of the blessing given by the aged Jacob to his grandchildren, the sons of Joseph; his words are an appeal to look to the future with hope, as the time when God’s promises will be fulfilled (cf. Gen 48:8-20). If it is true that the weakness of the elderly needs the strength of the young, it is equally true that the inexperience of the young needs the witness of the elderly in order to build the future with wisdom. How often our grandparents have been for us examples of faith and devotion, civic virtue and social commitment, memory and perseverance amid trials! The precious legacy that they have handed down to us with hope and love will always be a source of gratitude and a summons to perseverance.

Signs of hope for the elderly

From biblical times, the Jubilee has been understood as a time of liberation. Slaves were freed, debts were forgiven and land was returned to its original owners. The Jubilee was a time when the social order willed by God was restored, and inequalities and injustices accumulated over the years were remedied. Jesus evoked those moments of liberation when, in the synagogue of Nazareth, he proclaimed good news to the poor, sight to the blind and freedom for prisoners and the oppressed (cf. Lk 4:16-21).

Looking at the elderly in the spirit of this Jubilee, we are called to help them experience liberation, especially from loneliness and abandonment. This year is a fitting time to do so. God’s fidelity to his promises teaches us that there is a blessedness in old age, an authentic evangelical joy inspiring us to break through the barriers of indifference in which the elderly often find themselves enclosed. Our societies, everywhere in the world, are growing all too accustomed to letting this significant and enriching part of their life be marginalized and forgotten.

Given this situation, a change of pace is needed that would be readily seen in an assumption of responsibility on the part of the whole Church. Every parish, association and ecclesial group is called to become a protagonist in a “revolution” of gratitude and care, to be brought about by regular visits to the elderly, the creation of networks of support and prayer for them and with them, and the forging of relationships that can restore hope and dignity to those who feel forgotten. Christian hope always urges us to be more daring, to think big, to be dissatisfied with things the way they are. In this case, it urges us to work for a change that can restore the esteem and affection to which the elderly are entitled

That is why Pope Francis wanted the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly to be celebrated primarily through an effort to seek out elderly persons who are living alone. For this reason, those who are unable to come to Rome on pilgrimage during this Holy Year may “obtain the Jubilee Indulgence if they visit, for an appropriate amount of time, the elderly who are alone... making, in a sense, a pilgrimage to Christ present in them (cf. Mt 25:34-36)” (APOSTOLIC PENITENTIARY, Norms for the Granting of the Jubilee Indulgence, III). Visiting an elderly person is a way of encountering Jesus, who frees us from indifference and loneliness.

As elderly persons, we can hope

The Book of Sirach calls blessed those who have not lost hope (cf. 14:2). Perhaps, especially if our lives are long, we may be tempted to look not to the future but to the past. Yet, as Pope Francis wrote during his last hospitalization, “our bodies are weak, but even so, nothing can prevent us from loving, praying, giving ourselves, being there for one another, in faith, as shining signs of hope” (Angelus, 16 March 2025). We possess a freedom that no difficulty can rob us of: it is the freedom to love and to pray. Everyone, always, can love and pray.

Our affection for our loved ones – for the wife or husband with whom we have spent so much of our lives, for our children, for our grandchildren who brighten our days – does not fade when our strength wanes. Indeed, their own affection often revives our energy and brings us hope and comfort.

These signs of living love, which have their roots in God himself, give us courage and remind us that “even if our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor 4:16). Especially as we grow older, let us press forward with confidence in the Lord. May we be renewed each day by our encounter with him in prayer and in Holy Mass. Let us lovingly pass on the faith we have lived for so many years, in our families and in our daily encounter with others. May we always praise God for his goodness, cultivate unity with our loved ones, open our hearts to those who are far away and, in particular, to all those in need. In this way, we will be signs of hope, whatever our age.

 LEO PP. XIV

mercoledì 2 luglio 2025

SEEDS OF PEACE AND HOPE

 

Pope: God’s creation is not a battleground for vital resources

In his Message for the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Pope Leo XIV quotes extensively from Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’, denouncing environmental and social injustice and noting that God’s creation is not intended to be a battleground for vital resources.

By Linda Bordoni

As the Church prepares to mark the Tenth World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on 1 September 2025, Pope Leo XIV’s message for the occasion urges Christians and all people of goodwill to recognize the urgent need for environmental and social justice in a world increasingly scarred by climate change, conflict, and inequality.

Entitled Seeds of Peace and Hope and released on July 2, the Pope’s message resonates with the spirit of the ongoing Jubilee Year, calling the faithful to embrace their role as "pilgrims of hope" and stewards of God's creation.

Justice in a wounded world

Echoing the prophetic words of Isaiah, Pope Leo invites the global community to envision a transformation of today’s “arid and parched desert” into “a fruitful field.” This biblical vision, he explains, is not a poetic metaphor but an urgent call to action in the face of alarming ecological and human crises.

Quoting extensively from Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si' in the year of its 10th anniversary, he writes, “Injustice, violations of international law and the rights of peoples, grave inequalities, and the greed that fuels them are spawning deforestation, pollution, and the loss of biodiversity.”

Linking environmental destruction to the exploitation of the poor and marginalized, he highlights the disproportionate suffering of indigenous communities and the widening gap between rich and poor as hallmarks of a system that treats nature as a commodity rather than a common home.

Nature as a battleground

He laments the fact that nature itself has become “a bargaining chip,” subjected to policies and practices that prioritize profit over people and the planet. From agricultural lands riddled with landmines to conflicts over water and raw materials, Pope Leo paints a sobering picture of a creation “turned into a battleground” for control and domination.

These wounds, he says, are “the effect of sin,” a betrayal of the biblical command not to dominate creation, but to “till and keep” it, a call to cultivate and preserve the Earth through a relationship of care and responsibility.

Environmental justice as a moral imperative

The Pope’s message reaffirms the Church’s commitment to an “integral ecology,” a concept at the heart of Laudato si’. Environmental justice, the Holy Father affirms, is not an abstract or secondary concern but a “duty born of faith.”

“For believers,” he writes, “the universe reflects the face of Jesus Christ, in whom all things were created and redeemed.” In this light, caring for the planet becomes not only an ecological necessity but also a profoundly spiritual and moral vocation.

Seeds that bear fruit

Encouraging concrete action, Pope Leo calls for perseverance and love in sowing “seeds of justice” that will, in time, bear the fruits of peace. He cites the Borgo Laudato Si’ project at Castel Gandolfo as a tangible example of how education and community life rooted in ecological values can shape a just and hopeful future.

“This may take years,” the Pope acknowledges, “but years that involve an entire ecosystem made up of continuity, fidelity, cooperation and love.”

A blessing for the future

Concluding his message with a prayer for the outpouring of God’s Spirit, Pope Leo XVI invokes the hope of the risen Christ as the guiding light for a world longing for healing.

“May [Laudato si’] continue to inspire us,” he writes, “and may integral ecology be increasingly accepted as the right path to follow.”


Vatican News