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You are here:Home / Family News / NEF 2016 / Family News - October 14th, 2016 / A message from the Bishop of Rome
Oct 14, 2016

A message from the Bishop of Rome

Vessels of mercy

A message from the Bishop of Rome

To reawaken our conscience, too often grown dull in the face of poverty. And let us enter more deeply into the heart of the Gospel... To become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives. It was Francis’ wish at the opening of the jubilee of mercy. Far from getting lost in words, and as a good guide, the Pope offers us concrete examples to be meditated upon, where the mercy is somehow the active element of a conversion of the heart.

Our saints received mercy

We can benefit from contemplating others who let their heart be re-created by mercy and by seeing the “vessel” in which they received that mercy.
Paul... Peter...
John... Augustine... Francis... Ignatius... Curé d’Ars... and the parish priest Brochero

Blessed José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, the Argentinian priest – my countryman! – who will soon be canonized. He “let his heart be shaped by the mercy of God”. In the end, his vessel was his own leprous body. He wanted to die on horseback, crossing a mountain stream on the way to anoint a sick person. Among the last things he said was: “There is no ultimate glory in this life”. For me these words are striking: “There is no ultimate glory in this life”. Towards the end, when leprosy had left him blind, he said: “I am quite happy with what God has done with me regarding my sight, and I thank him for that. While I could serve other people, he kept my senses whole and strong. Today, when I can no longer do so, he has taken away one of my physical senses. In this world there is no ultimate glory, and we have our more than enough misery”. Often our work remains unfinished, so being at peace with that is always a grace. We are allowed to “let things go”, so that the Lord can bless and perfect them. We shouldn’t be overly concerned. In this way, we can be open to the pain and joy of our brothers and sisters. Cardinal Van Thuan used to say that, in prison, the Lord taught him to distinguish between “God’s business”, to which he was devoted in his free life as priest and bishop, and God himself, to whom he was devoted during his imprisonment (Five Loaves and Two Fish, Pauline Books and Media, 2003).

We could easily go on talking about how the saints were vessels of mercy, but let us turn to Our Lady. After all, we are in her house!

EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY
Spiritual retreat given
by his Holiness Pope Francis
on the occasion of the jubilee for priests

Second meditation
Basilica of Saint Mary Major - Thursday, 2 June 2016

Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero (16 March 1840 – 26 January 1914) was ordained to the priesthood in the diocese of Córdoba (Argentina) on 4 November 1866 at the age of 26. He was known to travel long distances in Argentina on the back of a mule dressed in a sombrero and a poncho to serve the needs of the Christian faith throughout his huge parish.

He cared for the sick during the cholera epidemic of 1867 and contracted leprosy during his travels, from which he suffered throughout his life. He became well known to his parishioners and made efforts to improve all aspects of their involvement in church life.

He became blind and deaf towards the end of his life. He is known for his extensive work with the poor and the sick. He became affectionately known as “the Gaucho priest” and the “cowboy priest”. He was beatified on 14 September 2013 after a healing was recognized as a miracle attributed to him.

“Father Brochero was a ‘gaucho priest’. He was very close to his people and used to travel on the back of a mule from place to place, working so that there were work, schools and dignity “, said Mgr. Olivera, postulator of the Cause of canonization.

Pope Francis approved the second miracle attributed to Brochero on 21 January 2016 and confirmed the date of the late priest’s canonization which will be held on 16 October 2016.

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