Forgiveness is the oxygen that purifies the air of hatred, forgiveness is the antidote to the poisons of resentment, it is the way to defuse anger and heal so many maladies of the heart that contaminate society.

Pope Francis

"Quite soon, I shall find myself before the final judge of my life. Even though, as I look back on my long life, I can have great reason for fear and trembling, I am nonetheless of good cheer, for I trust firmly that the Lord is not only the just judge, but also the friend and brother who himself has already suffered for my shortcomings, and is thus also my advocate, my “Paraclete.” In light of the hour of judgement, the grace of being a Christian becomes all the more clear to me. It grants me knowledge, and indeed friendship, with the judge of my life, and thus allows me to pass confidently through the dark door of death."

-Pope Benedict XVI

“Tonight the love of God has been revealed to us. In Jesus, the Most High made Himself small, so that we might love Him. In Jesus, God made Himself a Child, so that we might embrace Him.”

- Pope Francis

𝚞ǝɯɐ ʎ𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚕𝚚

𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎. 𝙻𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜. -𝙿𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝙵𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚜 #proofmewrong @frenchpsychiatrymuderedmycnut

𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚁𝚞𝚕𝚎𝚜 - 𝙾𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝙼𝚒𝚡 𝚋𝚢 𝙴𝚍𝚞 𝙸𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚘𝚗, 𝚂𝚞𝚝𝚓𝚊 𝙶𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚣

"The Spirit moves us to see God in the littleness and vulnerability of a baby, yet we at times risk seeing our consecration only in terms of results, goals, and success: we look for influence, for visibility, for numbers. This is a temptation. The Spirit, on the other hand, asks for none of this. He wants us to cultivate daily fidelity and to be attentive to the little things entrusted to our care. How touching is the fidelity shown by Simeon and Anna! Each day they go to the Temple, each day they keep watch and pray, even though time passes and nothing seems to happen. They live their lives in expectation, without discouragement or complaint, persevering in fidelity and nourishing the flame of hope that the Spirit has kindled in their hearts."

-- Pope Francis

The thirst for power and possessions knows no limits. In this system, which tends to devour everything which stands in the way of increased profits, whatever is fragile, like the environment, is defenseless before the interests of a deified market, which become the only rule.

—Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium § 56 (2013)

[h/t Robert Scott Horton]

“Peace in society cannot be understood as pacification or the mere absence of violence resulting from the domination of one part of society over others. Nor does true peace act as a pretext for justifying a social structure which silences or appeases the poor, so that the more affluent can placidly support their lifestyle while others have to make do as they can. Demands involving the distribution of wealth, concern for the poor and human rights cannot be suppressed under the guise of creating a consensus on paper or a transient peace for a contented minority. The dignity of the human person and the common good rank higher than the comfort of those who refuse to renounce their privileges.” -Pope Francis The Joy of the Gospel

<<The star of the Child Jesus

has pierced the darkness of history.

The night has become day>>.

~ Pope Francis, È Natale tutti i giorni, 2016, Piemme (Ed.)

"Truth may be vital, but without love, it is unbearable."

~ Pope Francis I ~ Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (The Two Popes, 2019 Film)

Speaking to the pilgrims gathered in Vatican City, Pope Francis said, “The throw-away culture says, ‘I use you in as much as I need you. When I am not interested in you anymore, or you are in my way, I throw you out’. It is especially the weakest who are treated this way – unborn children, the elderly, the needy and the disadvantaged.” He added, “But people are never to be thrown out, the disadvantaged cannot be thrown away! Every person is a sacred gift, each person is a unique gift, no matter what their age or condition. Let us always respect and promote life! Let’s not throw life away!”

I think of those who are locked up in prison. Jesus has not forgotten them either. By including the act of visiting of those in prison among the works of mercy, he wanted first and foremost to invite us to judge no one. Of course, if someone is in prison it is because he has done wrong, and did not respect the law or civil harmony. Therefore, in prison, he is serving his sentence. However, whatever a detainee may have done, he remains always beloved by God. Who is able to enter the depths of [an inmate’s] conscience to understand what he is experiencing? Who can understand his suffering and remorse? It is too easy to wash our hands, declaring that he has done wrong.

Pope Francis

“A person is credible if there is harmony between what he or she believes and lives. Many Christians only say they believe, but they live something else, as if they did not. And this is hypocrisy. The opposite of witness is hypocrisy. How many times we hear, “Ah, this person goes to Mass every Sunday and then he lives like this, or that”: it is true, it is counter-witness. Every one of us is required to respond to three fundamental questions posed by this way by St. Paul VI: “Do you believe what you are proclaiming? Do you live what you believe? Do you preach what you live?”. Is there harmony: do you believe what you proclaim? Do you live what you believe? Do you proclaim what you live? We cannot be satisfied with easy, pre-packaged answers. We are called upon to accept the risk, albeit destabilized, of the search, trusting fully in the action of the Holy Spirit who works in each one of us, driving us ever further: beyond our boundaries, beyond our barriers, beyond our limits, of any type.” 

- Pope Francis

"A good educator asks himself this question every day: 'Is my heart open enough today to allow surprise to enter?' Educating isn't just explaining theories. it is above all an exchange of views, making dialogic thinking triumph. A good educator wants to learn something every day from his students, from his children."

-Pope Francis, God is Young (2018)

“I cannot communicate without silence. In the most authentic experience of friendship, and also of love, of love of one's father, one's mother, one's brothers and sisters, the most beautiful moments are the ones when words, gestures and silence mingle.

A friend came to see me last week...There we were, the two of us...We talked about a number of things. He talked to me about his wife, his children and grandchildren. It was fine. And then, eventually, we sat in silence. In peace. It was beautiful. And then he asked me a question, and I asked another one. We spent an hour together, but during that hour I don’t think we spoke for more than half the time. There was a communication of peace, of friendship. It was beautiful. I was happy and he was too. And that silence mustn’t be like starch that you put on shirts to make them stiff; then it becomes rigidity, a formal silence, and that’s not silence any more...

Silence is tender, affectionate, warm. And it’s equally painful at difficult moments. You can’t have a communication of any quality without the capacity for silence. It’s in silence that the capacity for listening is born, the capacity for understanding, trying to understand, suffering when you can’t understand. I don’t understand and I suffer. But true communication is human.”

-- Pope Francis, interview with Dominique Wolton, July 2016, for A Future of Faith: The Path of Change in Politics and Society [BOOK | KINDLE]

"You can have flaws, be anxious and even be angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from failing. You are appreciated, admired and loved by so many. Remember that being happy is not having a sky without storm, a road without accidents, a job without effort, a relationship without disappointments.

“To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become the author of your own fate.” It's walking through deserts, but being able to find an oasis deep in the soul. Is thanking God every morning for the miracle of life. It’s kissing your children, cuddling your parents, having poetic moments with your friends, even when they hurt us.

“Being happy is letting the creature that lives in each of us live, free, joyful and simple. You have the maturity to be able to say: "I've made mistakes". It's having the courage to say I'm sorry. It's having the sense to say "I need you". Is having the ability to say "I love you". 

“May your life become a garden of opportunities for happiness... that in spring he may be a lover of joy and in winter a lover of wisdom.

“And when you make a mistake, start over. Because only then will you be in love with life. You'll discover that being happy isn't having a perfect life. But use tears to irrigate tolerance. Use your defeats to train your patience."Use your mistakes with the serenity of the sculptor. Use pain to tune into pleasure. Use obstacles to open the windows of intelligence. 

Never give up ... Above all never give up on the people that love you. Never give up on being happy, because life is an incredible spectacle.”

- Pope Francis