"We baptised sons and daughters of the Church, all of us, are called upon to
always welcome newly the presence of God among us and to help others to
discover this presence, or to rediscover it if they have forgotten. It is a
beautiful mission, similar to that of John the Baptist: guiding people towards
Jesus - not to ourselves! - because it is towards Him that the human heart
tends when it seeks joy and happiness".
 "St. Paul, in today's liturgy, indicates the conditions for being
missionaries of joy: pray diligently, always give thanks to God, follow His
Spirit, seek that which is good and avoid evil", continued the Pope. "If this
is our way of life, then the Good News will be able to enter into many homes
and to help people and families rediscover that in Jesus, there is salvation.
In Him it is possible to find inner peace and the strength to face each day
the different situations of life, even the most onerous and difficult. We
never hear about a sad saint or a saint with a gloomy appearance. It would be
contradictory. A Christian is a person whose heart is filled with peace
because he or she knows to place joy in the Lord even when experiencing
difficult moments in life. To have faith does not mean not having difficult
moments, but rather having the strength to face them knowing that we are not
alone. And this is the peace God gives to His sons and daughters".

___________________________________________________________

 The Pope gives a prayerbook to the faithful
 Vatican City, 14 December 2014 (VIS) - After today's Angelus prayer, Pope
Francis greeted all those present in St. Peter's Square - families, parish
groups, associations and, in particular, faithful from Poland where today the
Christmas candle is lit, and commitment to solidarity is reaffirmed,
especially in the current Polish "Year of Caritas".
 He then addressed the children who had brought him the figures from their
Nativity displays to be blessed, thanking them for their presence and for the
joy they brought to the square, where a sign was held that read "With Jesus,
there is joy in our home". The Pope wished them a happy Christmas and asked
them to pray for him in front of their Nativity display at home, as he does
for them.
 "Prayer is the breath of the soul: it is important to find moments during the
day to open our heart to God, even with the simple and short prayers of the
Christian people. Therefore, I thought of giving a gift to all of you here in
the square - a surprise, a gift: I will give you a little pocket-sized book
that gathers together a few prayers, for various moments in the day and
different situations in life. Some volunteers will distribute to them to you.
Take one each and keep it with you always, as a help to live the whole day
with God, and so we do not forget that beautiful message you have brought here
on your banner: 'With Jesus, there is joy in our home'. Once again: 'With
Jesus, there is joy in our home'".
 The book offered by the Pope contains Psalms, the Magnificat, invocations of
Mary, the Gloria, the prayer to the Angel of the Guard, prayers to recite
during the day and blessings for the table, in confession and for specific
intentions. It is published in Italian by the Vatican Publishing House.

___________________________________________________________

 Audience with Matteo Renzi: common concern about persistent social and
economic problems
 Vatican City, 13 December 2014 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father Francis
received Matteo Renzi, prime minister of the Italian Republic, on an official
visit. Following the papal audience, Renzi met with Cardinal Secretary of
State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary
for Relations with States.
 The discussions took place in a serene and cordial atmosphere. Attention
focused on, among other issues, the current context of persistent difficulties
of an economic and social nature, with negative consequences especially in
relation to youth employment. In addition, the importance of education to
promote the future of new generations was emphasised.
 Various themes relating to international politics were then considered, and
the Parties shared their serious concerns for the gradual worsening of
conflicts in the Middle East.
 With regard to the term of the Italian Presidency of the European Union, the
Parties affirmed the importance of the themes mentioned by the Holy Father
during his recent address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. These were
held to be fundamental to the harmonious development of European peoples.
 Finally, the Parties renewed their commitment to continuing their joint
cooperation to resolve various issues of a bilateral nature.

___________________________________________________________

 St. Lucy, patroness of the blind and visually-impaired, teaches us the secret
of true happiness
 Vatican City, 15 December 2014 (VIS) - "Your association is non-confessional;
however you have proposed to meet on this specific day, confirming that the
tradition retains a certain significance for you", said the Pope as he
received in audience the members of the National Council of the Italian Union
of the Blind and Visually-Impaired, on the feast day of St. Lucy. Francis
spoke about the human values the saint suggests, the first of which was
courage. "We all need courage in order to face the challenges of life. ... In
particular, the blind and visually-impaired need courage in order not to close
themselves up, not to assume a victim mentality, but rather to open themselves
to reality, to others, to society; to learn how to recognise and make good use
of the capabilities the Lord has given to each person, without exception".
 Another value suggested by St. Lucy, he continued, is "the fact that she was
not alone, but rather was part of a community, a member of a body of which
Christ was the head, a stone in the edifice of which Christ was the
foundation. ... An association is not the sum of the individuals that
constitute it - it is much more. ... To form a group, to be united, to meet up
with one another, to share experiences and pool resources ... all this is part
of the civil patrimony of a group. And often people who live with
disadvantages or disabilities can show everyone, with their experience, that
we are not 'monads', we are not made to be isolated, but rather to relate to
one another, to complete each other, to help, accompany and support each
other".
 "Finally, St. Lucy tells us the life is made to be given away. She lived this
in the extreme form of martyrdom, but the value of giving oneself is
universal: it is the secret to true happiness. Humanity cannot be fully
realised in having or even in doing; it is realised in loving, that is, the
giving of oneself. And this may be understood as the secret of the name
'Lucy': a person is luminous to the extent that he or she is a gift for
others. And every person, in reality, is a precious gift". The Pope concluded
by remarking that even today living according to these values can mean
encountering incomprehension and the struggle of at times going against the
grain, and that it is necessary to fight, with the example and intercession of
St. Lucy. He encouraged those present to confront this challenge with courage
and with the joy of doing so together.

___________________________________________________________

 Francis gives thanks to the foundation of Notre Dame des Sans-Abri for its
work with the homeless
 Vatican City, 13 December 2014 (VIS) - "Notre Dame des Sans-Abri (Our Lady of
the Homeless)! What a beautiful name! The mother of Jesus, who gives shelter
to her sons", said Pope Francis this morning as he received in audience the
Foyer de Notre Dame des Sans-Abri, the association founded in Lyon in 1952 by
Gabriel Rosset to assist the thousands of homeless men, women and children who
lived under bridges, or in unsanitary and overcrowded huts.
 "I would like you to know how much I appreciate your commitment to the
poorest, to those who society turns away, those who have no roof over their
heads or food to eat, those who are without work and therefore without
dignity. Your founder listened to the cry of the poor; he was moved by the
suffering of others, and responded generously. This call is none other than
the call of the suffering Christ Himself; in the people you serve, you touch
their wounds and cure them; and at the same time, they offer you profound
teaching, since through them you encounter Jesus. The poor always evangelise
us, they communicate God's wisdom to us, mysteriously. Today's world urgently
needs this witness of divine mercy. At a time in which the human being is
frequently rejected as useless when no longer productive, God, on the other
hand, always acknowledges the dignity and nobility of his beloved son and
daughter, who has a privileged position in His heart. The poor are the Lord's
most favoured, and are at the centre of the Gospel".
 "I thank you for this witness of mercy that you offer with many concrete
actions, simple and warm gestures through which you alleviate the misery
people suffer, giving them new hope and restoring their dignity to them. There
is no better way to announce to today's world the joy of the Gospel. The
option for the last among us, for those society rejects and casts aside, is a
sign that we can always give, a sign that effectively bears witness to Christ,
Who died and rose again".
 Finally, Pope Francs invited the members of the foundation to remain faithful
to their name, recalling the Marian dimension of their work. "Mary's heart is
full of compassion for all people, especially for the poorest and most
disadvantaged, those who are most in need; and it is her maternal tenderness -
along with that of the Church - that is made manifest through you".

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 The Pope prays to the Virgin of Guadalupe that the future of Latin America be
forged for the poor
 Vatican City, 13 December 2014 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, on the liturgical
solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, patroness of Latin America,
the Holy Father celebrated Mass in the Vatican Basilica. The celebration was
accompanied by hymns from the "Misa Criolla", by the Argentine composer Ariel
Ramirez. Extensive extracts from the homily pronounced by the Pontiff are
published below:
 "Today, with gratitude and joy, the peoples and nations of our great Latin
American homeland commemorate the feast of their 'patroness', Our Lady of
Guadalupe, whose devotion extends from Alaska to Patagonia. ... On this feast
of Our Lady of Guadalupe ... we sing with her the 'Magnificat', we entrust to
her the lives of our people and the continental mission of the Church. When
she appeared to St. Juan Diego in Tepeyac ... this led to a new visitation.
She tenderly hastened to embrace the new people of the Americas at the
dramatic moment they came into being: 'A great sign appeared in the sky, a
woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet' that assumed within
herself the cultural and religious symbolism of the native people, announcing
her Son and giving Him to the new and suffering people of mixed race. ... The
most perfect disciple of the Lord became the 'great missionary who brings the
Gospel to our America'. The Son of Mary most Holy, his Immaculate Mother,
reveals himself from the origins of this new peoples' history, as the 'true
God who gives us Life'".

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