{"id":20853,"date":"2025-05-06T16:23:57","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T23:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/?p=20853"},"modified":"2025-05-06T19:25:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T02:25:19","slug":"cardinal-fernandez-artime-sdb-from-pope-francis-the-call-to-awaken-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2025\/05\/06\/cardinal-fernandez-artime-sdb-from-pope-francis-the-call-to-awaken-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardinal Fern\u00e1ndez Artime, SDB: From Pope Francis, the Call to Awaken the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

(ANS \u2013 Vatican City)<\/strong> \u2013 During the eighth Mass of the Novemdiales in memory of Pope Francis, the Cardinal and former Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life invites the faithful to turn the apostles’ enthusiasm, sparked by the appearance of the Risen Christ, into a “life program.” Their “wonder,” in contrast to “bewilderment” and “discouragement,” becomes a model for those today who are in “great need of encountering the Lord.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cardinal \u00c1ngel Fern\u00e1ndez Artime, former Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life presided over the eighth Mass of the nine days of mourning, or Novemdiales, on Saturday afternoon, 3 May, in St. Peter\u2019s Basilica. In his homily he spoke about a new way of living rooted in love and reflected in the joy and wonder of the first disciples witnessing the Risen Christ. This is the example that all the baptized, and especially those who embrace consecrated life, are called to embody today for a world that \u201cgreatly needs to encounter the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participation of consecrated women and men<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the Penitential Act, Sister Mary Barron, OLA, Superior General of the Congregation of Our Lady of the Apostles and president of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), spoke on behalf of consecrated women. She gave a moving portrait of Pope Francis as a \u201chumble, compassionate pastor, full of boundless love,\u201d who reminded the world that “fragility” can be embraced, not as a “limitation,” but as a source of “grace.” She echoed the Pope\u2019s call to religious women to serve with humility, \u201cas Christ in kneeling to wash the feet of His disciples.\u201d With a voice filled with gratitude, she recognized how Pope Francis welcomed and valued consecrated women, making them \u201cactive participants in the synodal journey.\u201d \u201cWe promise to carry the mission forward,\u201d she concluded, \u201cbecoming a fire that lights other fires.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Pope who could \u2018shake things up\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, Father Mario Zanotti, secretary of the Union of Superiors General, brought the condolences of all religious institutes. \u201cPope Francis,\u201d he said with emotion, \u201cleft us a great legacy of humanity, a deeply Christian humanity.\u201d He described the Pope as \u201cclose,\u201d a good listener, and someone capable of \u201cshaking\u201d the Church with strong words that challenged \u201ccertainties\u201d and \u201chabits cloaked in religiosity.\u201d With evangelical firmness, the Pope called for consistency with Scripture and with the charism of religious families, highlighting poverty as a prophetic sign against power and wealth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Promoting an encounter the Lord<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPraying for the dead is the greatest work of charity.\u201d With this quote from Saint Alphonsus Maria de\u2019 Liguori, Cardinal Fern\u00e1ndez Artime opened his homily. He added a quote from Saint John Mary Vianney: \u201cTo pray for the dead is to love those who have died.\u201d His words were filled with memory and love, directed to the many consecrated men and women attending the celebration. The cardinal recalled the affection of religious congregations for Pope Francis and their constant prayer: \u201cfor his ministry,\u201d for him personally, \u201cfor the Church, for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on the Gospel passage recounting the appearance of the Risen Christ to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, the Cardinal quoted Saint Athanasius, who said the presence of the Risen Christ makes life \u201ca continuous feast.\u201d It is this transforming light that enabled the disciples to face \u201cprison,\u201d \u201cthreats,\u201d and persecution without fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quoting from one of Pope Francis’ catecheses, Cardinal Fern\u00e1ndez Artime said \u201cI ask myself where did the first disciples find the strength to witness as they did? Not only that, but where did they find joy and courage to proclaim the Gospel in the face of obstacles and violence?\u201d The answer, he explained, is clear: only the presence of the Risen Lord and the action of the Holy Spirit could explain this. Their faith was rooted in a powerful and personal experience of the crucified and risen Christ, so much so that they feared nothing. Today, just as then, people have a deep need to encounter the Lord and His message of salvation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The love of Christ<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cardinal then recalled the words of Saint John Paul II during the Jubilee of Consecrated Life in February 2000. He described religious life as a \u201cprophetic presence for the whole Christian people,\u201d often lived in difficult conditions, yet offered without reservation \u201cin the name of Christ, in service to the poor, the marginalized, and the outcast.\u201d All baptized people, he said, are called to be witnesses of the Lord, and the call to discipleship is a summons to live with God at the center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis mission is especially urgent today, when across many parts of the world God seems absent or easily forgotten. In such times, we can follow the way of Saint Benedict: \u201cPrefer nothing to the love of Christ.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presence in difficult moments<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cardinal also recalled a theme expressed by Benedict XVI: that consecrated life must be like \u201csentinels who discern and proclaim the new life already present in our history.\u201d Consecrated men and women must become \u201ccredible and radiant signs of the Gospel and its paradoxes,\u201d not conforming to the mindset of the world, but continually renewing their commitment. In the Gospel, the Cardinal noted, the Lord made himself present even when all seemed lost and to have failed, approaching the disciples who, filled with joy, recognized him as \u201cthe Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith this expression, we find the joy and amazement of Easter faith, which strongly contrasts with the confusion, discouragement, and sense of helplessness previously in the disciples\u2019 hearts. Only the presence of the Risen Jesus transforms everything: darkness is overcome by light; fruitless work becomes fruitful again; weariness and abandonment give way to new energy and the certainty that He is with us. What happened to the first and privileged witnesses of the Lord can and must become a life plan for us all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awakening the World<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In conclusion, Cardinal Fern\u00e1ndez Artime again quoted Pope Francis, who during the Year of Consecrated Life (2015\u20132016), invited religious to \u201cawaken the world\u201d with hearts and spirits pure, able to recognize Christ in today\u2019s men and women, especially the poor, the forgotten, the excluded, \u201cfor in them is the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMay Mary, Mother of the Church, grant us all the grace to be missionary disciples today, witnesses of her Son in His Church which, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, lives in hope, because the Risen Lord is with us until the end of time. Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Edoardo Giribaldi<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Vatican News<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo Credit: Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice – Salesiane di Don Bosco\u00a0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Photo Credit: Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice – Salesiane di Don Bosco\u00a0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(ANS \u2013 Vatican City) \u2013 During the eighth Mass of the Novemdiales in memory of Pope Francis, the Cardinal and former Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life invites the faithful to turn the apostles’ enthusiasm, sparked by the appearance of the Risen Christ, into a “life program.” Their “wonder,” in contrast to “bewilderment” and “discouragement,” becomes a model … Continuar leyendo Cardinal Fern\u00e1ndez Artime, SDB: From Pope Francis, the Call to Awaken the World<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":10336596,"featured_media":20859,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[516714022],"tags":[35890],"class_list":["post-20853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-salesian-world-news","tag-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/salesianbulletin.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ef00b3c4f8cf59febaaa589d00033da6_xl.jpg?fit=1024%2C675&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p59ePG-5ql","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10336596"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20853"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20867,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20853\/revisions\/20867"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}