The following are some highlights from recent addresses of the Holy Father...
* "[T]he greatest concern of every Christian, especially of every consecrated person or minister of the altar, must be fidelity, loyalty to one’s own vocation, as a disciple who wishes to follow the Lord."
* "Be especially attentive to those situations where there is a certain weakening of priestly ideals or dedication to activities not fully consonant with what is proper for a minister of Jesus Christ."
* "Many of our brothers and sisters live as if there were nothing beyond this life, and without concern for their eternal salvation. Men and women are called to know and love God, and the Church has the mission to assist them in this calling. We know well that God is the master of his gifts and that conversion is a grace. But we are responsible for proclaiming the faith, the whole faith, with all its demands. Dear friends, let us imitate the Curé of Ars who prayed to the Lord in the following words: 'Grant me the conversion of my parish, and I accept to suffer all that you wish for the rest of my life'."
* "Dear seminarians, who have taken the first step towards the priesthood and are preparing in the major seminary or in houses of formation, the Pope encourages you to be conscious of the great responsibility which you will have to assume. Carefully examine your intentions and your motivations. Devote yourselves with a steadfast heart and a generous spirit to your training. The Eucharist, which is the centre of Christian life and the school of humility and service, should be your first love. Adoration, piety and care for the Most Holy Sacrament during these years of preparation will lead you one day to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Altar in an edifying and devout manner."
* "In seven years you will return here [to Fatima] to celebrate the centenary of the first visit made by the Lady 'come from heaven', the Teacher who introduced the little seers to a deep knowledge of the Love of the Blessed Trinity and led them to savour God himself as the most beautiful reality of human existence. This experience of grace made them fall in love with God in Jesus, so much so that Jacinta could cry out: 'How much I delight in telling Jesus that I love him! When I tell him this often, I feel as if I have a fire in my breast, yet it does not burn me'. And Francisco could say: 'What I liked most of all was seeing Our Lord in that light which Our Mother put into our hearts. I love God so much!' (Memoirs of Sister Lúcia, I, 42 and 126)."
* "We would be mistaken to think that Fatima’s prophetic mission is complete... At a time when the human family was ready to sacrifice all that was most sacred on the altar of the petty and selfish interests of nations, races, ideologies, groups and individuals, our Blessed Mother came from heaven, offering to implant in the hearts of all those who trust in her the Love of God burning in her own heart. At that time it was only to three children, yet the example of their lives spread and multiplied, especially as a result of the travels of the Pilgrim Virgin, in countless groups throughout the world dedicated to the cause of fraternal solidarity. May the seven years which separate us from the centenary of the apparitions hasten the fulfilment of the prophecy of the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to the glory of the Most Holy Trinity"
The Holy Father also...
* Told the sick that "In suffering, you will discover an interior peace and even spiritual joy", advising them to "overcome the feeling of the uselessness of suffering which consumes a person from within and makes him feel a burden to those around him."
* Referred to the "tragedy of abortion" and called for protecting the family against threats to marriage - e.g. divorce, same sex 'marriage' - to help "respond to some of today’s most insidious and dangerous threats to the common good"
* Denounced "the pressure exerted by the prevailing culture, which constantly holds up a lifestyle based on the law of the stronger, on easy and attractive gain."
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