Rome, Italy, Mar 2, 2017 / 11:47 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis met Thursday with priests of the Diocese of Rome, delivering a lengthy meditation on St. Peter and his example of faith – which, though imperfect, grows and develops throughout his discipleship. Looking at the Gospels, “we see that the faith of Simon Peter has a special character: it is a proven faith, and with it he has a mission to confirm and strengthen the faith of his brothers, our faith,” he said March 2. St. Peter had moments of both weakness and greatness in his faith, the Bishop of Rome pointed out. But in the end, if we follow his example and have the same “awareness of having ‘little faith,’ along with the humility to let ourselves be helped … this is the point of healthy self-esteem in which is rooted the seed of that faith ‘to confirm others,’” he said. As well as to ability to follow the command “‘to build upon this rock’ which is what Jesus wants from Simon Peter and from us who participate in the ministry” of priesthood, the Pope explained. The meeting between Pope Francis and priests of the Diocese of Rome takes place annually at the start of Lent at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral church of Rome. After hearing the confessions of 15 priests, the Pope said he would give a slightly abbreviated version of the lengthy meditation he had prepared, although printed versions of the full text were handed out to the clergy to read during “these days of Lent.” He concluded the meeting by leading the Angelus. His meditation reflected on the theme of faith in general, and how the priests can help it grow and mature within themselves in order to better lead others to grow in their faith, and focused, in-depth, on scenes between Christ and St. Peter in the Gospels. Because if we priests don’t have the habit of growing and maturing our faith, Francis asked, how can we expect to help grow and develop the faith of others? “The faith of Simon Peter is less than that of many of the small faithful people of God,” he said. “There are even the pagans, like the centurion, who have greater faith in time to ask for the healing of a sufferer of their family.” “Simon's faith is slower than that of Mary Magdalene and John. John believes just seeing the sign of the shroud and recognizes the Lord on the shore of the lake just listening to his words.” But St. Peter’s faith “has moments of greatness” as well, the Pope said, such as when he confesses that Jesus is the Messiah. “I would say that is a sharable faith, perhaps because it is not so admirable. The faith of one who had learned to walk on water without tribulations would be fascinating, but maybe push us away,” he said. “Instead, this faith from a good friend, aware of his smallness and who fully trusts in Jesus, raises our sympathy and – this is his grace – confirms us!” The Pope’s meditation also emphasized the importance of prayer in a priest’s life, pointing out how Christ himself says he has prayed for St. Peter in Luke 22:31-32: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.” “The fact that the Lord expressly says that he prays for Simon is extremely important, because the most insidious temptation of the devil is that, along with some special test, we feel that Jesus has abandoned us, that somehow he has left us alone and he did not help us as he should have,” Francis said. “The Lord himself has experienced and overcome this temptation, first in the garden and then on the cross, trusting in the Father's hands when he felt abandoned.” “It is in this point of the faith that we need to be specially and carefully strengthened and confirmed,” he said. But in the Lord’s care “we find the strength we need.” “The Lord asks us to pray continually and persistently,” he continued. “As priests who take part in the Petrine ministry, in what he is to us, we take part in the same mission: not only do we have to wash the feet of our brothers, as we do on Holy Thursday, but we have to confirm them in their faith, showing how the Lord prayed for ours.” Read more

Madrid, Spain, Mar 2, 2017 / 05:43 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pablo Ráez was just 21 years old when he died last Saturday in Spain. But the young man, a devout Catholic, made a difference in the world, helping increase bone marrow donations in his home city by more than 1,000 percent. Ráez was a native of Marbella in Malaga, Spain. After being diagnosed with leukemia two years ago, he began to share his daily struggles and positive attitude with his more than 300,000 followers on Facebook. With a strong faith and a desire to live, he fought to encourage donations of bone marrow, which are critical in fighting leukemia. About 1,000 people attended the funeral Mass for Ráez, which was held at the Incarnation parish in Marbella. Fr. José López Solórzano, pastor of the church and godfather to Ráez, presided over the Mass. “I don't know how to bury Pablo, what I want to do is weep with all of you,” the priest said, visibly moved, according to Diario Sur. In his homily, he recalled that the young man “grew up in an atmosphere of simplicity; from that simplicity comes forth great things.” Ráez, the priest said, “did what he had to do, he has left his mark on this world.” Fr. López recalled how the young man used to say, “Leukemia is teaching me more than it has taken from me,” and “Death is part of life, and so you shouldn't fear it but love it.” In a report filmed some time ago, the priest said that “when I hear that Pablo is thankful for his leukemia, it shakes me up…Many times things happen to us that slip by in our lives and so it is, but Pablo learns every day from what is happening to him.” Fr. López also related that he met Ráez at the church of the Incarnation when they boy turned 14 years old and asked to receive the sacraments of Baptism and First Communion. “I told him it was a personal decision of his. So he began a formation process that culminated with Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion,” the priest recalled. In the same report, Ráez commented on his friendship with the priest. “He's my godfather but above all, he's my friend. He's a great friend to me and has been very present in my illness, he has really been one of the people closest to me, and always, always, always he has been able to be there to see me.” Ráez had recalled that one of the most difficult days of his life was when “they were doing a transplant on me and I was very afraid and he (Fr. Lopez) arrived at the hospital. When I saw him, I cried a lot and then I knew that I was going to get better and I was going to be well. Besides all the people that were praying for me, that happened to me and made me recover.” The young man, who became an icon in the fight against leukemia, was going to be awarded the City Medal on Tuesday, February 28. The medal commemorates the 1980 referendum which secured autonomy within Spain for Andalusia, the region where the city of Marbella is located. An online petition has been launched to name a street in honor of the young man. That petition has more than 100,000 signatures and says that “Pablo increased donations of bone marrow in Malaga 1,300% in 2016, with a total of 11,201 new donors.” It recalls Ráez as a “valiant fighter who has saved many lives. To remember him for posterity is an act of justice, as his was an immense act of courage, solidarity and love.”     Read more

Rome, Italy, Mar 2, 2017 / 12:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The theological legacy of Benedict XVI continues, four years after his pontificate came to an end. A group of graduate students has gathered around the Ratzinger Foundation to further their studies... Read more