Please join us as we celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit to open the new school year at Our Lady of Mercy School.
Friday, September 2, 2016 at 9:00AM
Our Lady of Mercy Church Fr. Bernard A. Healey Celebrant & Homilist
Fr. Joshua A. Barrow Concelebrant
The Statement of the Most Reverend Kevin J. Farrell Bishop of Dallas
"The magnitude of the violence in downtown Dallas Thursday night is staggering. Five police officers were killed and seven other officers and two civilians were wounded in a deadly spate of gunfire at the conclusion of a peaceful march protesting recent killings of black men in Baton Rouge and Minneapolis.
Our first concern is for the families who have lost loved ones in this tragic attack. We pray for consolation and healing for both the families and those killed and wounded. We are reminded of the ever -present danger to those who are dedicated to protecting us.
We have been swept up in the escalating cycle of violence that has now touched us intimately as it has others throughout our country and the world. All lives matter: black, white, Muslim, Christian, Hindu. We are all children of God and all human life is precious.
We cannot lose respect for each other and we call upon all of our civic leaders to speak to one another and work together to come to a sensible resolution to this escalating violence. Let us implore God our Heavenly Father to touch the minds and hearts of all people to work together for peace and understanding.
Let us recall the words of Pope Francis, “May the God of peace arouse in all an authentic desire for dialogue and reconciliation. Violence cannot be overcome with violence. Violence is overcome with peace.”
Let us Pray for the City of Dallas and all those suffering there:
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.
Bishop Tobin has announced the appointment of Father Joshua Barrow as the new Associate Pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Church. His appointment is effective July 1, 2016. We thank Bishop Tobin for sending us Fr. Barrow. As you know there is an ever increasing shortage of priests and to get a second priest is rare luxury for parishes. So please be sure to thank Bishop Tobin and also please commit to praying for more priestly vocations for our diocese. Fr. Barrow is sure to be a great blessing for our parish. He is just 27 years old and full of zeal, energy and very eager to begin his priestly ministry here at OLM. He is a native of Warwick where he was educated at the public schools and graduated from Pilgrim High School. He grew up in St. Timothy Church in Warwick. After high school, Fr. Barrow entered Our Lady of Providence Seminary and graduated from Providence College with a B.A. in Philosophy. Bishop Tobin then assigned him for priestly formation and theological studies to the North American College in Rome. Father was ordained a priest in June 2015 and then returned to Rome for graduate studies. After completing an S.T.L Degree in Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas this past spring, he was assigned to OLM. I am sure you will give him your usual warm welcome to OLM. Father Barrow begins his priestly service here on July 1st. Welcome Fr. Barrow!
The Friends of Mercy group at Our Lady of Mercy School in East Greenwich, RI recently collected hundreds of new and gently used books for Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence. The program is designed to have books in waiting rooms for children who are waiting for an appointment. The new books are given to children to take home following a doctor's visit, particularly those children from low income homes where there are no books for them. The OLM parish family also contributed to the collection. Although the children didn't actually count all the books, there are over 20 large boxes waiting to be delivered by truck this week. Under the guidance of Sister Jeanne Barry, RSM, OLM’s former Principal; Kristen Soucie, Mercy Associate; and Jean Perretta, OLM 5th grade teacher, the Friends of Mercy participate in a variety of spiritual and service-oriented projects throughout the year. The Friends of Mercy group is open to students beginning in Grade 4 who wish to learn more about the spirit and life of Mother Catherine McAuley, Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy. Monthly meetings are held after school and usually have a threefold agenda: prayer, a teaching on Catherine McAuley and an activity which connects the students with those in need. Some of the outreach projects include connecting with Mercy run orphanage in Honduras, making Thanksgiving cards to accompany the parish Thanksgiving baskets and raising money to support a family suffering from a fire. Once a week a student reads a quotation from Catherine McAuley during the morning prayer. An ongoing project within the school is raising awareness for the need to care for earth by recycling.
Our Lady of Mercy School’s Science Olympiad Team, made up of nineteen 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, placed second in the middle school division at the RI State Science Olympiad Competition at Rhode Island College on Saturday, April 9, 2016. After a two year hiatus from the competition, OLM students proved they remain a force to be reckoned with, tallying 4 gold medals and 3 bronze. Out of 24 teams, OLM finished in the top 10 or higher in 19 of the 22 events. Points are awarded based on the teams’ finish in each of the 22 events.
Gold Medal Winners included:
Mission Possible (Grace Pelletier & Tim Moren)
Disease Detective (Maddie Knudson & Ishita Rai)
Green Generation (Tim Moren & Ben Kane)
Scrambler (Collin Caldwell & Casey McQuesten)
Bronze Medal Winners:
Experimental Design (Susie Mueller, Tim Moren & Ben Kane)
Anatomy & Physiology (Susie Mueller & Brooke Mattos)
Bridge Building (Casey McQuesten & Mike Hanlon)
Please note that the Mass on Anticipation on Saturday Evening moves from 4PM to 5PM beginning on Saturday, April 2, 2016.
Confessions on Saturday Afternoons move from 3PM to 4PM.
Birthday Blessings to Mrs. Claire Sharpe who turned 106 on April 1st!
She received a special visitor on her birthday, Bishop Thomas Tobin!
Bishop Tobin also celebrated his birthday on April 1st!
Happy Birthday to them both!!
Homily delivered at the Easter VigilOur Lady of Mercy Church The Very Reverend Bernard A. Healey, Pastor March 26, 2016
I lived in Belgium for five years when I was a seminarian studying for the priesthood. I lived at the American College in Louvain, just outside the City of Brussels. I still have many friends and acquaintances there. They are safe as far as I know from those I have had contact with over these last days. The recent attacks in Brussels are the cause of great outrage and anger, profound grief and sorrow for the Belgian People and for the victims and their families, and all people of good will and peace. The senseless attack upon innocents is a great horror which has provoked great fear and it is the cause of great doubt for many. Darkness has overcome the Kingdom of Belgium and we live in its sinister shadow. There is, my friends, great need of light, the light we celebrate this night, the light of Christ that scatters all darkness and destroys death.
In 1993 when I was a student in Belgium. I saw the Funeral Mass of Baudouin, King of the Belgians. He was a reluctant monarch, becoming King
only after his father King Leopold III abdicated. He was a man of deep faith, very devout and faithful Catholic. Once on a visit to our seminary Baudouin revealed that he had really wanted to spend his life in prayer and devotion as a Trappist Monk put God called him in another role as King.
During King Baudouin’s funeral something remarkable happened. His widow, Queen Fabiola, sat among the Belgian Royal Family, the Crown Heads of Europe, the Presidents and
Prime Ministers from out the world. They were there to pay their respect and offer their prayers for the late King and were dressed in solemn black befitting the funeral of a King. The Queen of the Belgians, herself a devout Catholic, however, wore a dazzlingly bright white dress, so deeply did she believe in the hope of the Resurrection and so profoundly did she understand the power of Christ the light of the world.
My dear friends, you and I are believers too. And for those who believe in and trust God, life has meaning and purpose, found in the virtue of hope. Evil may have its moment and darkness may have its day but in the end nothing evil ever has a chance of being victorious for those who accept God’s light and love into their lives. Tonight we celebrate the great feast of Easter. This feast of faith is for us. For as believers we celebrate our victory through Christ, with Christ and in Christ. This is not nonsense, it is not superstition nor is it a fable.
Christ’s resurrection is a reality, the empty tomb a fact of our lives as believers! We have been buried with Christ in baptism, so that we may rise with him to a new life! That is our hope: eternal happiness and total union with the Sacred Godhead. This is what St. Paul tells us this Holy Night in his letter to the Romans: “We were indeed buried with [Christ] through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.” (Romans 6: 4)
The resurrection of Christ gives us the power to be a people of love and hope, in a world that is in desperate need of 
both. The resurrection of Christ gives us faith and light, in the midst of doubt and in the heart of darkness that is the evil in our world. Basking in the light of the resurrection, we can begin to see this world we live in as a place where we make pilgrimage toward something higher, more permanent, and more splendid. Only the risen Christ can bring us to complete union with God, to the place where our own powers are unable to bring us. Truly Christ the Good Shepherd puts the lost sheep upon his shoulders and carries them home. Clinging to his body we have life, and in communion with his Body we reach the very heart of God.
This is exactly what happens in Baptism: he draws us towards himself; he draws us into true life. The Risen Christ leads us through the often murky sea of life, where we are frequently in danger of sinking amid all the confusion and perils. In Baptism he takes us, as it were, by the hand, the Lord leads us along the path that passes through the Red Sea of this life and introduces us to everlasting life, the true and upright life. My friends especially you eight to be baptized, received and confirmed tonight into the Holy Roman Catholic Church.
Grasp his hand firmly! Whatever may happen to us in life, whatever may befall us or our world, let us not ever lose our 
tight hold of his hand! Let us walk along the path holding tight to the hand of the Risen Christ, making our way to newness of life. Yes, we know that the Christian pilgrimage is at times up-hill, we know that sometimes we easily get sidetracked by selfishness and sin, or overcome with the burden of pain and suffering, and even at times we are lost amidst the darkness and fear. Yet we endure. We endure in hope. We endure in faith.
Yes we endure our pilgrimage my friends because what awaits us at that final destination is: Endless glory. Perfect peace. Everlasting joy. Jesus Christ risen!
A Blessed Easter! Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!
Over the February Vacation Week OLM Teacher, Kelly Jackson, traveled with students of Bishop Hendricken High School to Rome, Florence and Assisi. Among the BHHS students were three OLM Parishioners and OLM School Alums:Daniel Legare, and Chukwudi and Chukwuma Onyejose. The students sang at St. Mark's Basilica, the tomb of St. John Paul II, the tomb of St. Peter, the chair of St. Peter, St. Mary Major, St. Francis Basilica and at Father Connors Alma Mater, the Pontifical College of North America. A link to a video posted by the Arts Director of the young men singing at the chair of St. Peter. Pictured above is Ms. Jackson with the three boys. Pictured below is Daniel Legare singing wth the BHHS Choir at St. Peter's Basilica. (Photos courtesy of K. Jackson)
https://www.facebook.com/richie.sylvia.3/videos/10100449791481589/
OLM School and Parish Families Reach Out to Refugee Families In Need
East Greenwich, RI -- On Monday, December 21, a group of OLM School, the OLM CAL Basketball Teams and Parish Families
joined Pastor Father Bernard Healey and Associate Pastor Father Ryan Connors on a trip to the Diocesan Immigration and Refugee Services Office. Their cars were filled with coats, hats, gloves, other clothing items and gift cards which were to
be delivered to fifteen refugee families resettled by the Diocesan Office to Rhode Island. The families resettlement was 
coordinated by Catholic Migration Services Office at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and come from 
Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea , Bhutan, Liberia, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba and Ghana. These refugee families are fleeing
political repression, religious persecution, or suffer as a result of a natural or economic disaster. They arrive to Rhode Island with few possessions and are helped by the Diocese of Providence. Several 
of the families including one who have recently come to RI from Afghanistan received the delegation of OLM school children and families. Earlier this month, Father Healey called upon the OLM Community after have been contacted by Stella Carrera, Diocesan Coordinator of Immigration and Refugee Services. She informed Fr.
Healey that the 15 families were in dire need of assistance as they transitioned to life in Rhode Island. In its usual generous fashion, several members of the community asked “what can we do to help?” As Father noted, “These refugee families come seeking a better life with nothing but the clothes on their backs. To see the families from OLM reach out to make them feel welcome truly embodies the true meaning of Christmas. It was truly wonderful to share the true gift of
Christmas, the gift of love, that is the Christ Child.” The project was the second time in as many weeks that the OLM community came together as Pope Francis has called us to do during this Jubilee Year of Mercy; to reach out to show Mercy to those in need.
OLM Robotics Team Qualifies for State Championship
East Greenwich, RI -- On Saturday, December 12th, Our Lady of Mercy School’s Recycling Rhinos First Lego League Team competed in its first qualifier and advanced to the Rhode Island FLL Championship event. The qualifier, held at the Ricci Middle School in North Providence, included 20 teams of students in grades 4-8 from around the state. Students have been working since September on the project and robot game to help find a solution to the overwhelming amount of trash we produce. Under the guidance of coaches Bea Lukens and Pam Burdon, The Rhinos worked hard finding a problem they could solve, and an overabundance of chip bags were an evident problem right here in our school. The students found that, because of the material they are made from, chip bags are not recyclable. The school was producing at least two large garbage bags full of chip bag debris each week. On a mission to reduce what was going into the trash, the team found ways to reuse the chip bags and even had a school-wide contest to raise awareness. The students made reusable shopping bags, eclectic purses, earrings, and so much more with their creative minds and trash treasures. All in all the students have seen a reduction in the amount of single serve chip bags coming from the cafeteria and now only collect 1 bag a week. The students will spend the next month before the championship tournament on January 16 at Roger Williams University to find an even better solution for the chip bag waste. In addition to the project, the students must compete in a robot game designing and programming a robot to do tasks on an 8’ by 4’ table.
With a tradition of excellence in Catholic elementary and middle school education since 1951, Our Lady of Mercy School offers its students an opportunity to pursue excellence in academics, athletics and the arts. Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the Pre-K through Grade 8, co-educational Catholic school located in East Greenwich provides a nurturing, values-driven environment built upon the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Photo ID: OLM Recycling Rhinos Team Members include, l to r, Margaret Cooney, Isabelle Crescenzi, Brielle Bamberry, Brendan Donoghey, Levi Burdon, Blake Sykes, Blake Lukens, Kyler de Bont, and Elle van Meeteren (not pictured)
OLM Families Open Year of Mercy with Outreach Project; Assemble 20,000 Meals in Under Two Hours
East Greenwich, RI -- On Saturday, December 12, following the 4:00 p.m mass at Our Lady of Mercy Church, over 100 parishioners gathered to kick of the 
Year of Mercy with a parish-wide outreach project. The event, sponsored by Catholic Relief Services Helping Hands initiative and hosted by OLM, was the second of its 
kind at OLM, and was a tremendous success by all accounts. In just under two hours, those in attendance packaged 20,000 meals for the hungry and poor in Africa. According to Pastor Father Bernard Healey, “Feeding the hungry is a corporal work of mercy and lending a helping hand to the good work of Catholic Relief Services in providing food for those who live in hunger in Africa was a great start to the Jubilee Year of Mercy here at OLM. It was an amazing evening as the OLM school families and parishioners of all ages joined together in a spirit of mercy as they packed 20.000 meals for CRS. I think Pope Francis is very proud of OLM Parish!”
Bishop Tobin Opens Jubilee Year of Mercy with Mass and a Visit to Our Lady of Mercy School
East Greenwich, RI -- Bishop Thomas Tobin, Bishop of the Diocese of Providence, visited the Our Lady of Mercy Parish and School Community on Tuesday, December 8. He began with the celebration of Mass at 9 a.m., honoring the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It also marked the opening of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, as declared by Pope Francis. During the Year of Mercy, the Pope has called upon the entire Church to reflect on God’s mercy—His love for those who are suffering, those who are in need, and those who are afflicted by sin. He has called for a renewed commitment to God’s Mercy in the Sacrament of Penance. He has also asked that we gain a deeper understanding of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.
As is typical at an OLM school mass, students did readings, sang in the choir and served at the altar. Immediately following the mass, the entire student body gathered in the sanctuary for a group photo with the Bishop. Immediately following mass, the Bishop visited several classrooms and encouraged all of
the children to remain close to God and to continue to keep him in their prayers. He prayed with them, some sang for him and all had several questions for him. In his typical humor, he added a plug for his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers on more than one occasion.
With a tradition of excellence in Catholic elementary and middle school education since 1951, Our Lady of Mercy School offers its students an opportunity to pursue excellence in academics, athletics and the arts. Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the Pre-K through Grade 8, co-educational Catholic school located in East Greenwich provides a nurturing, values-driven environment built upon the teachings of the Catholic Church.
A Prayer for Thanksgiving Day Meal
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for this special day, a day to remember Your goodness to us. Thank You for a roof over our heads, and more than enough food to eat. Thank You for the family You have given to us, for family and friends who have gathered together to eat this Thanksgiving Day meal. Thank You for the gift of faith and the gift of gratitude. Bless our food, the gift of Your bounty, and Bless our time together. May all power and glory be Yours now and forever. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen
On Thursday, November 19, the OLM School and Parish community gathered for the second annual Grill the Priests, which was held in the school’s cafeteria. Organized by members of the school’s Parent Teacher Group, and OLM Associate Pastor Father Ryan Connors, the evening was an even bigger success than the 2014 inaugural event, drawing over 125 attendees who were not only thirsting for answers to various questions, but also enjoyed the opportunity to socialize in an adults-only format. Following a brief reception of food and beverages provided by Pranzi Catering and Greenwich Liquors, the priests 
took their spots before the crowd and got ready to be “grilled”.
In what has become a somewhat popular format in recent years, participants were allowed to ask questions, either “live” or anonymously via notecards, on a variety of topics. Monsignor Albert Kenney, Vicar General for the Diocese of Providence, was moderator for the evening. The brave priests on the panel included OLM Pastor Father Bernard Healey, Father Christopher Murphy, Chaplain at Bishop Hendricken High School, Senior Priest Fr. John Kiley (Pastor Emeritus of St. Francis Church in Warwick), Dominican Friar Fr. Philip Neri Reese of Providence College, and Father Connors. The priests took turns answering questions that were either directed specifically to them, or based on their area of expertise. 
With the events in Paris last weekend and the Syrian refugee crisis, some of the more serious questions revolved around the topic of a “just war”, praying for terrorists, and world conflict. Father Healey, lobbyist for the Diocese of Providence at the State House who had that same day attended a rally in defense of the Catholic Church’s stance on immigration, reiterated Bishop Thomas Tobin’s earlier statements on the topic. “To turn the Syrian refugees away is not only un-Christian, frankly it’s un-American.”
Some of the lighter topics included questions about selection of godparents, evangelization among teens and of course, favorite TV shows and movies. The evening was filled with tremendous faith, light-hearted joking amongst the brother priests and laughter from the attendees. By all accounts, it was another tremendously successful event that celebrated the OLM community.
A Prayer for Paris
Lord, the ones you love are under siege and in danger at the hands of those who do not know you, and who do not love life. Already many are dead, and the grief will be terrible. We beg your mercy on the souls of the dead, and your healing upon those injured; but we beg your mercy upon the city of Paris and the people therein, as they are targeted by a dark madness that travels among us. We understand nothing, Lord, but we know that a light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it. Christ Jesus, light of the world, come into this darkness. In your light we see light.
Notre Dame de Paris, pray for the people of your city! Our Lady of Grace, you who showed yourself to Saint Catherine Laboure and brought miracles, who smiled upon Saint Therese of Lisieux and created a missionary, in your holy Motherhood, please intercede for your fearful and endangered people; bring your consolations to the people of Paris and all of France. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, hear us.
Saint Therese of Lisieux, Patron of France, pray for them
Saint Joan of Arc, Patron of France, pray for them.
Saint Martin of Tours, Patron of France, pray for them
Saint Remigius, Patron of France (pray for them)
Saint John Vianney …
Saint Jeanne Jugan …
Saint St Genevieve…
Saint Denis…
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux …
Saint Germain Cousin …
Saint Peter Julian Eymard …
Saint Louis …
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque …
Saint Peter Fourier …
Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat …
Saints Louis and Zelie Martin …
Saint Jane Frances de Chantal …
Saint Catherine Laboure …
Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne …
Saint John Eudes …
Saint Vincent de Paul …
Saint Hilary of Poitiers …
Saint Isaac Jogues …
Saint Jane de Chantal …
Saint Jean-Baptiste de La Salle …
Saint Benedict Joseph Labre …
Coptic Martyrs, victims of ISIS, pray for them
All you holy men and women, pray for France, and pray for us.
St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
‘There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’
Today on this Veterans Day we offer our prayers for the many men and women who have, in their military service, sacrificed their time, strength, ambition, health and even their lives on this earth to benefit their fellow citizens, known and unknown.
Many of our warriors carry scars in their hearts as well as on their bodies. Dark memories haunt their dreams at night. Fears cloud their waking hours. Jesus, you came to give us abundant 
life by providing a way for us to release our pain to you. On the cross Christ bore our sorrows and brokenness and when we trust Him, we can exchange our wounds for His joy in a future unhindered by fate. Bring this gift now to the veterans of our nation who bear tangible and intangible wounds. May Christ the Healer bring them comfort and consolation, faith and hope.
Bless the families of veterans who bear these pains of these wounded warriors. Give them patience and wisdom and strength to endure, and more than endure to hope in faith for a blessed life. Merciful Father, bring healing and strength to all veterans and their families.We honor our veterans with our prayers and gratitude this day. We thank them for their sacrifice for our nation and for our freedom and liberty.
Almighty Father, bestow Your blessings upon them and grant them Your Peace.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
On Sunday, November 1, 2015, the Solemnity of All Saints,the Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, the Bishop of Providence, conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation on 101 young men and women of Our Lady of Mercy Church. We wish them all prayerful congratulations!!
Today the word of God surprises us with powerful and thought-provoking images. Images which challenge us, but also stir our enthusiasm.
In the first reading, Joshua tells Moses that two members of the people are prophesying, speaking God’s word, without a mandate. In the Gospel, John tells Jesus that the disciples had stopped someone from casting out evil spirits in the name of Jesus. Here is the surprise: Moses and Jesus both rebuke those closest to them for being so narrow! Would that all could be prophets of God’s word! Would that everyone could work miracles in the Lord’s name!
Jesus encountered hostility from people who did not accept what he said and did. For them, his openness to the honest and sincere faith of many men and women who were not part of God’s chosen people seemed intolerable. The disciples, for their part, acted in good faith. But the temptation to be scandalized by the freedom of God, who sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous alike (Mt 5:45), bypassing bureaucracy, officialdom and inner circles, threatens the authenticity of faith. Hence it must be vigorously rejected.
Once we realize this, we can understand why Jesus’ words about causing “scandal” are so harsh. For Jesus, the truly “intolerable” scandal consists in everything that breaks down and destroys our trust in the working of the Spirit!
Our Father will not be outdone in generosity and he continues to scatter seeds. He scatters the seeds of his presence in our world, for “love consists in this, not that we have loved God but that he
loved us” first (1 Jn 4:10). That love gives us a profound certainty: we are sought by God; he waits for us. It is this confidence which makes disciples encourage, support and nurture the good things happening all around them. God wants all his children to take part in the feast of the Gospel. Jesus says, “Do not hold back anything that is good, instead help it to grow!” To raise doubts about the working of the Spirit, to give the impression that it cannot take place in those who are not “part of our group”, who are not “like us”, is a dangerous temptation. Not only does it block conversion to the faith; it is a perversion of faith!
Faith opens a “window” to the presence and working of the Spirit. It shows us that, like happiness, holiness is always tied to little gestures. “Whoever gives you a cup of water in my name will not go unrewarded”, says Jesus (cf. Mk 9:41). These little gestures are those we learn at home, in the family; they get lost amid all the other things we do, yet they do make each day different. They are the quiet things done by mothers and grandmothers, by fathers and grandfathers, by children. They are little signs of tenderness, affection and compassion. Like the warm supper we look forward to at night, the early lunch awaiting someone who gets up early to go to work. Homely gestures. Like a blessing before we go to bed, or a hug after we return from a hard day’s work. Love is shown by little things, by attention to small daily signs which make us feel at home. Faith grows when it is lived and shaped by love. That is why our families, our homes, are true domestic churches. They are the right place for faith to become life, and life to become faith.
Jesus tells us not to hold back these little miracles. Instead, he wants us to encourage them, to spread them. He asks us to go through life, our everyday life, encouraging all these little signs of love as signs of his own living and active presence in our world.
So we might ask ourselves: How are we trying to live this way in our homes, in our societies? What kind of world do we want to leave to our children (cf.
Laudato Si’, 160)? We cannot answer these questions alone, by ourselves. It is the Spirit who challenges us to respond as part of the great human family. Our common house can no longer tolerate sterile divisions. The urgent challenge of protecting our home includes the effort to bring the entire human family together in the pursuit of a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change (cf. ibid., 13). May our children find in us models and incentives to communion! May our children find in us men and women capable of joining others in bringing to full flower all the good seeds which the Father has sown!
Pointedly, yet affectionately, Jesus tells us: “If you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Lk 11:13). How much wisdom there is in these few words! It is true that, as far as goodness and purity of heart are concerned, we human beings don’t have much to show! But Jesus knows that, where children are concerned, we are capable of boundless generosity. So he reassures us: if only we have faith, the Father will give us his Spirit.
We Christians, the Lord’s disciples, ask the families of the world to help us! How many of us are here at this celebration! This is itself something prophetic, a kind of miracle in today’s world. Would that we could all be prophets! Would that all of us could be open to miracles of love for the sake of all the families of the world, and thus overcome the scandal of a narrow, petty love, closed in on itself, impatient of others!
And how beautiful it would be if everywhere, even beyond our borders, we could appreciate and encourage this prophecy and this miracle! We renew our faith in the word of the Lord which invites faithful families to this openness. It invites all those who want to share the prophecy of the covenant of man and woman, which generates life and reveals God!
Anyone who wants to bring into this world a family which teaches children to be excited by every gesture aimed at overcoming evil – a family which shows that the Spirit is alive and at work – will encounter our gratitude and our appreciation. Whatever the family, people, region, or religion to which they belong!
May God grant to all of us, as the Lord’s disciples, the grace to be worthy of this purity of heart which is not scandalized by the Gospel!
Pope Francis, Homily for Outdoor Papal Mass on Sunday, September 27, 2015
Mr President,
I am deeply grateful for your welcome in the name of all Americans. As the son of an immigrant family, I am happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families. I look forward to these days of encounter and dialogue, in which I hope to listen to, and share, many of the hopes and dreams of the American people.
During my visit I will have the honor of addressing Congress, where I hope, as a brother of this country, to offer words of encouragement to those called to guide the nation’s political future in fidelity to its founding principles. I will also travel to Philadelphia for the Eighth World Meeting of Families, to celebrate and support the institutions of marriage and the family at this, a critical moment in the history of our civilization.
Mr. President, together with their fellow citizens, American Catholics are committed to building a society which is truly tolerant and inclusive, to safeguarding the rights of individuals and communities, and to rejecting every form of unjust discrimination. With countless other people of good will, they are likewise concerned that efforts to build a just and wisely ordered society respect their deepest concerns and their right to religious liberty. That freedom remains one of America’s most precious possessions. And, as my brothers, the United States Bishops, have reminded us, all are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it.
Mr. President, I find it encouraging that you are proposing an initiative for reducing air pollution. Accepting the urgency, it seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation. When it comes to the care of our “common home”, we are living at a critical moment of history. We still have time to make the changes needed to bring about “a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change” (Laudato Si’, 13). Such change demands on our part a serious and responsible recognition not only of the kind of world we may be leaving to our children, but also to the millions of people living under a system which has
overlooked them. Our common home has been part of this group of the excluded which cries out to heaven and which today powerfully strikes our homes, our cities and our societies. To use a telling phrase of the Reverend Martin Luther King, we can say that we have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to honor it.
We know by faith that “the Creator does not abandon us; he never forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us. Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home” (Laudato Si’, 13). As Christians inspired by this certainty, we wish to commit ourselves to the conscious and responsible care of our common home.
The efforts which were recently made to mend broken relationships and to open new doors to cooperation within our human family represent positive steps along the path of reconciliation, justice and freedom. I would like all men and women of good will in this great nation to support the efforts of the international community to protect the vulnerable in our world and to stimulate integral and inclusive models of development, so that our brothers and sisters everywhere may know the blessings of peace and prosperity which God wills for all his children.
Mr President, once again I thank you for your welcome, and I look forward to these days in your country. God bless America!
