The Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary May 31, 2017

"My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!"

As I see it this feast day and what it represents has deep meaning to all of mankind and especially to women. As any woman reading this will attest to we do not act as solitary guardians of our faith and family. In order to keep our self, marriage and family connected to God we need at least one solid trusted friend to help us effectively sort out the every day problems of family life. Mary and Elizabeth were on the ground floor of a new
beginning for mankind. Very important  position they were given by God Himself through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I don't think I have ever read more humble  positive words than the greetings that Elizabeth and Mary

"Who am I that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?"

gave to each other upon meeting and being given the knowledge that they were both chosen by God to make a huge impact on the world. There was no jealousy, no pride, no indication that God didn't really mean what He said. They simply served each other and God in a way many women still do. I believe Jesus has asked for women espoused to purity to serve each other and those sent to us by saying yes I can help you find a better way to live than that which the world has taught you. I believe that with loving patience and care we can change this world filled with hypocrisy back to normal. Normal is being who you are called to be.

Helping women understand normal and discern right from wrong.  When I am questioning a situation I go back one hundred years and ask my self, "what if I was living back then? how would I rite the rest of the story?" Would I need help or would I say, " I can do this all myself?" All human beings need each other and a like minded community but in extraordinary times like these we need like minded women in a serious way.

The morning I took the picture used as the header of this blog; the Mother of God brought me into the guest room on the opposite side of the house were I normally sleep with my husband. She told me, "abortion has destroyed the sisterhood of women." Then she urged me to take this picture which came out all blue.

At this point in our history young women are marching and saying wake up stop killing your children, we need to support them and all who are coming to understand the meaning of Holy Mother Hood. We need to re prioritize as the foundation of the world is cracked and it will take  more than putty to repair it. It is never to late to change but it takes humility and repentance. Only Mary the Mother of God is  with out sin yet we are expected to carry on the mission entrusted to her and Elizabeth. We need to reboot the meaning of woman and mother. We need to give the men in our world the responsibility they were called to have - give then back there manhood. We are all needy creatures. We all need lots of hugs to get through the day. And of course we all need to put God and others before ourselves.

I began my day with a rosary of gratitude to my Mother Mary and to the priest who has helped me and my husband guide our family. It is so good to say Thank You, I am most grateful. AMEN

Many Blessings on this special day,

~Margaret of Souls for Jesus

Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 6

Faithfulness

Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.

Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus’ name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Faithfulness within us.

You, oh Lord, are ever faithful. You are faithful until the end. Though we are weak and distracted, please give us the grace to be faithful to You as you are to us!

Amen.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

St. Joan of Arc & Reparation

I have been contemplating St. Joan of Arc and why Jesus would have asked that she be one of our Patron Saints. The obvious is of course we are in a battle for the souls of our families, friends and the entire world. Jesus has asked specifically for women who will take loving Him and consoling Him very seriously. We are not being asked to love who we hope He is or who we need Him to be; but for Who He truly is in His pure message to the world. The message He was crucified for, the message that makes Him still after 2000 years, the most talked about and controversial of any historical figure.

After almost three years of trying to spread the message of Purity I have come to realize that it is an absurd message for our world today; even among Catholics and other Christians. Yes there is a major gap between who we are and who Jesus has called us to be.
One of my sons told me the other day: "people who live like you and Dad don't exist anymore." We know that isn't true but it is in his limited 21 year old observation.

Back to St. Joan of Arc. Joan was given an absurd mission. Because Joan knew Who gave her the directive to save France even from their own lack of hope, to do physical battle as a young maid and lead the troops of France to reestablish Charles as the ruler of France and do it all because other saints working from Heaven told her to. In our limited understanding of God now, as then, it is foolish to the point of ridiculous.

I believe that there are so many called to an aspect of the mission to save souls presently that God of course will enthrone His Son in all of our hearts before too long. the Mother of God is re-birthing the Church, the Power of the Holy Spirit is with us and Jesus as Healer and Spouse is very actively bringing the world to Himself.

Each of us (as we dedicate ourselves to Prayer, Penance and Purity for the sake of Our Spouse and King, Jesus Christ), will have a precious gift to give as we move from this world into eternal life. We have the gift of loving and knowing Our Savior and sharing Him with each and every one whom He sends into our lives. God has formed many groups of prayerful women to help in this battle for eternal happiness. To return women to their rightful place of dignity. To be happy with God in this world as well as the next.

I willingly take up the sword of Truth with St. Joan of Arc. We are all called to do something. Women have necessarily busy lives. If one can only say: "I am grateful to You Jesus for Your suffering for my soul and those of the whole world," that is sufficient to console His Sacred Heart.

~Margaret of Souls for Jesus

Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 5

Kindness

Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.

Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus’ name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Kindness within us.

Jesus approached sinners with immense kindness. Holy Paraclete, please treat us humble sinners with the same kindness and give us the ability to treat all others with that kindness as well.

Amen.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 4

Patience

Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.

Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus’ name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Patience within us.

Oh Holy Spirit, you give lavishly to those who ask. Please give us the patience of the Saints who are now with you in heaven. Help us to endure everything with an eternal patience that is only possible with your help.

Amen.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 3

Peace

Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.

Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus’ name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Peace within us.

The Saints were tempted, attacked and accused by the devil who is the destroyer of peace. When we are accused by the devil, come to our aid as our Advocate and give us Peace that lasts through all trials!

Amen.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 2

Joy

Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.

Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus’ name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Joy within us.

All of the Saints are marked with an uncompromisable Joy in times of trial, difficulty and pain. Give us, Oh Holy Spirit, the Joy that surpasses all understanding that we may live as a witness to Your love and fidelity!

Amen.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 1

Charity

Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.

Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus’ name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Charity within us.

The great charity of all the the host of Saints is only made possible by your power, Oh Divine Spirit. Increase in me, the virtue of charity that I may love as God loves with the selflessness of the Saints.

Amen.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

Holy Spirit Novena begins May 26th, 2017

Please join us!

To celebrate Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Church, we are going to pray the Holy Spirit Novena! It is a powerful and moving novena that is meant to help us open ourselves up to the third person of the Holy Trinity.

Even though we pray this novena as a preparation for the feast of Pentecost, you can also pray a novena to the Holy Spirit any time that you want.

So, let us pray with great confidence and trust in our God who is all Good and Loving.

Satanists Are Casting Spells on Our President

 

"By thy holy and Immaculate Conception, O Mary, deliver us from evil!"

Satanists are promoting a movement to “Bind Trump” with “Magic Resistance”. They are regularly casting spells “to bind Donald Trump and all those who abet him every waning crescent moon at midnight ending when he is driven from office.” The spells began on February 24.

The witches’ spells involve lengthy incantations, calling on spirits and “demons of the infernal realms” to bind our President so that “he may fail utterly, that he may do no harm.”
 

Satanists are called to cast spells next Tuesday, May 23, at 11:59 PM. We are called to pray and fast against them, as Jesus said these are the weapons to defeat Satan. (See Matthew 17:21). “For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:10).

This is very serious. Satan has power to wreak havoc and those who invoke him empower him. Perhaps these spells are having their effect and we are seeing their results played out in the daily media attacks upon our President and his own apparent disorientation and confusing statements and actions.

However, we have the greater power with Jesus Christ who conquered Satan by his passion, suffering, death and resurrection.

St. Paul said to pray “for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

So let us pray for America and our President by invoking our Patroness and our Queen, Our Lady of America, through the Novena to Our Lady of America for True Change and Hope for America.

You may see the Satanists’ websites here:

https://www.facebook.com/bindtrump/

https://www.facebook.c to “bind Trump” with “magic resistance” begin the spells on February 24.Om/groups/OfficialBindTrump/?fref=mentions

by:  Dan Lynch

This is the miracle that led to the Fatima children's canonization

Fatima, Portugal, May 12, 2017 CNA/EWTN News.- Tomorrow, on the 100th anniversary of Mary’s first appearance at Fatima, Pope Francis will canonize Jacinta and Francisco Marto, two of the three shepherd children who witnessed the Marian apparitions.

A press conference preceding the Pope’s arrival highlighted the miracle that paved the way for their canonization. The miracle involved a Brazilian boy named Lucas, who was miraculously healed through the intercession of the shepherd children.

Jacinta and Francisco both died before age 10 and will become the youngest non-martyrs to be canonized. Sister Lucia, the third visionary, lived much longer, dying in 2005 at the age of 97. The Church is currently examining documents and collecting testimonies for her beautification cause.

In recounting the story of their son’s healing in the face of almost certain death, João Batista and his wife Lucila Yurie could not hold back tears.

“On March 3, 2013, before 8:00 pm, our son Lucas, who was playing with his little sister Eduarda, fell out of a window from a height of 20 feet. He was five years old,” related the boy's father.

“His head hit the ground and he sustained a very serious injury, which caused a loss of brain tissue,” Batista said during the press conference at the Fatima Shrine.

Teetering between life and death, “he was given medical care in our city, Juranda, and given the severity of his condition, he was transferred to the hospital in Campo Mourao, Parana.”

“When we got there, Lucas was in a deep coma. His heart stopped twice, and they performed an emergency operation.”

It was at that moment that “we began to pray to Jesus and Our Lady of Fatima, to whom we have a great devotion,” Batista said.

 “The next day we called the Carmelite convent of Campo Mouro to ask the sisters to pray for the boy,” he said. But the community was observing a period of silence, and so the message did not get to them.

As the days went by, Lucas became worse, his father recounted. On March 6, the doctors considered transferring him to another hospital, since their facility did not have the necessary care for a boy of his age.

“They told us that the chance of the boy surviving was low, and if he did survive, his recovery would be very slow,” likely dealing with “severe cognitive disabilities or even remaining in a vegetative state.”

On March 7, Batista said, “we called the convent again.” That time, they were able to get their prayer request to the sisters.

“One of them ran to the relics of Blessed Francisco and Jacinta, which were next to the tabernacle, and felt the impulse to pray the following prayer: ‘Shepherds, save this child, who is a child like you’…she also persuaded the other sisters to pray to the little shepherds to intercede for him.”

“And so they did,” Batista said. “In the same way, all of us, the family, began to pray to the little shepherds, and two days later, on March 9, Lucas woke up and began to speak, even asking for his little sister.” On the 11th, he left the ICU and was discharged from the hospital a few days later.

Since that time, Lucas “has been completely well and has no symptoms or after effects,” the child’s father said. “He has the same intelligence (as he did before the accident), the same character, everything is the same.”

“The doctors, some of them non-believers, said that his recovery had no explanation.”

Batista and his wife are grateful to the doctors who cared for their son, and to the postulator of the canonization cause of the little shepherds, “for all the care given throughout this process.”

But they are especially grateful to God. “We thank God for the cure of Lucas and we know with all the faith we have in our hearts, that this miracle was obtained through the intercession of the little shepherds Francisco and Jacinta.”

“We feel a great joy because this is the miracle that leads to their canonization, but especially we feel the blessing of the friendship of these two children who helped our child and who now help our family,” Batista said.

 

Cardinal Bertone talks about the third secret of Fatima

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone former Vatican secretary of state speaks with EWTN on May 4 2017. Photo credit: Daniel Ibanez 1 CNA

The third secret of Fatima deals with past events, but at the same time its call to conversion is always current, always up to date, said Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State emeritus.

In an interview with CNA, Cardinal Bertone spoke about the third secret of Fatima, how the decision to release the secret was made, and his memories of his three meetings with Sr. Lucia, the longest-living of the three shepherd children who had been the custodian of the secret until it was released by the Vatican at the request of Pope John Paul II.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima’s appearance to three shepherd children in 1917. Pope Francis is making a two-day pilgrimage to Fatima May 12-13 to celebrate the centenary and to canonize two of the children, Francisco and Jacinta Marta.

The “third secret of Fatima” refers to a message during the apparitions predicting suffering and persecution of the Pope and the Church. Unlike the first two secrets – a vision of hell and a prediction of World War II – the third secret was not initially revealed by Sr. Lucia. At first, she said that Mary had not yet permitted her to reveal it to the world. Later, the Vatican chose to keep it secret until 2000, when it was finally revealed.

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The Fatima apparitions “confirm some encouraging news,” Cardinal Bertone said, “that the Mother of the Son of God Incarnated and Our Mother does not abandon humanity in the course of history. She is present, and watches over humanity as the spokesperson and guarantor of God’s Mercy. She is the mediator of salvation.”

On his way to Portugal for his 2010 apostolic trip, the cardinal noted, Pope Benedict XVI stressed that in addition to referencing the suffering of Pope John Paul II, the third secret points to realities involving the future of the Church, “which are gradually taking shape and becoming evident.”

That means, he added, that “the vision implies the need for a passion of the Church, which naturally is reflected in the person of the Pope, yet the Pope stands for the Church and thus it is sufferings of the Church that are announced. The Lord told us that the Church would constantly be suffering, in different ways, until the end of the world.”

Cardinal Bertone pointed to the theological commentary released by Cardinal Ratzinger at the time of the third secret’s release. Cardinal Ratzinger said: “In the vision we can recognize the last century as a century of martyrs, a century of suffering and persecution for the Church, a century of World Wars and the many local wars which filled the last fifty years and have inflicted unprecedented forms of cruelty.”

“In the ‘mirror’ of this vision we see passing before us the witnesses of the faith decade by decade,” he added.

“In one sense he (Cardinal Ratzinger) says that the events described in the third secret are now past,” Cardinal Bertone said. “At the same time, the heart of Fatima’s appeal deals with conversion. That is, the conversion of the faithful and the path of the Church towards fidelity. Sr. Lucia really cared about accomplishing what she calls the ‘mandamiento de Maria,’ the commandment of Mary. Just as there is the Lord Jesus’ commandment, ‘Love one another as I loved you,’ there is also Mary’s commandment, ‘Do whatever he tells you’.”

Cardinal Bertone said that the decision to release the third secret of Fatima was made in order to avoid the “apocalyptic interpretation” that was spreading more and more at the end of the millennium.

He said that the decision was made directly by St. John Paul II, after a meeting that gathered Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State; Carinal Bertone, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Msgr. Giovanni Battista Re, deputy to the Secretariat of State; and Msgr. Stanislaw Dziwisz, personal secretary of the Pope.

St. John Paul II then assigned Cardinal Bertone, in his capacity of Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to go and meet Sr. Lucia and ask whether the text of the secret secured in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was authentic.

During his time as secretary, he met her three times: Apr. 27, 2000, Nov. 17, 2001 and Dec. 9, 2003.

Cardinal Bertone shared with CNA that Sr. Lucia was “a bright, very nice, serene, peaceful and calm person. She was a confident person who had to keep a great secret and was called to communicate important messages to humanity.”

The cardinal also shared details about his last meeting with Sr. Lucia. He said that one of the main topics of their last conversation was about the meeting Sr. Lucia had on July 11, 1977 with Cardinal Albino Luciani, then Patriarch of Venice.

Cardinal Luciani would be elected Pope John Paul I on Aug. 26, 1978, and his papacy would last only 33 days. Many reports said that Cardinal Luciani was shocked by the meeting he had with Sr. Lucia, since she would allegedly predict both his election as a pontiff and his very short pontificate.

In fact, Cardinal Luciani had drafted a report of his meeting, and Cardinal Bertone had brought this report with him, in a translation in Portuguese that Sr. Lucia had requested.

Cardinal Bertone recounted: “She carefully read the report, and then confirmed every word and signed it at the very end. I then asked a precise question: ‘Did you predict Cardinal Luciani’s election as Pope?’ She answered, with these very words: ‘I do not remember if I told him he was going to be elected Pope. I told my religious community that I had met a good cardinal, a holy cardinal, and that if he was elected Pope, he was going to be a good Pope’.”

Cardinal Bertone added that the discussion between Cardinal Luciani and Sr. Lucia dealt with the decline of faith in the Church and other general problems of the Church.

The cardinal also recalled that Sr. Lucia said the Virgin was satisfied by the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

During the apparitions, Our Lady of Fatima asked that the Pope consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with a special mention of Russia, in union with the bishops of the whole world.

Both Pius XII and St. John Paul II consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, although there was not an explicit mention to Russia itself – a detail that brought many to suggest that in fact the consecration had not fulfilled Our Lady’s request.

Cardinal Bertone underscored that the choice not to mention Russia directly was made “for ecumenical reasons” and out of “respect for the Russian Orthodox Church,” but he also stressed that the references to it are very clear. In particular, he recalled Pope Pius XII’s 1952 Apostolic Letter Sacro Vergente Anno, which clearly speaks about the “consecration of the people of Russia.”

Fatima seers become the Church's youngest non martyred Saints

Standing before the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Pope Francis canonized two shepherd children who saw Mary at Fatima, but more importantly, he said, they heeded the call to pray for sinners and trust in the Lord.

"We declare and define Blessed Francisco Marto and Blessed Jacinta Marto as saints," the pope said May 13 as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims broke out in applause before he finished speaking.

The relics of the young shepherd children, encased in two thin golden crosses, were placed in front of the famed statue of Our Lady of Fatima, the "lady dressed in white" as the siblings and their cousin described her.

The Marian apparitions began May 13, 1917, when 9-year-old Francisco and 7-year-old Jacinta, along with their 10-year-old cousin Lucia dos Santos, reported seeing the Virgin Mary. The apparitions continued once a month until Oct. 13, 1917, and later were declared worthy of belief by the Catholic Church.

After contracting influenza, Francisco died April 4, 1919, at the age of 10, while Jacinta succumbed to her illness Feb. 20, 1920, at the age of 9.

The children, beatified by St. John Paul II in 2000, are now the youngest non-martyrs to be declared saints by the Catholic Church.

Before his arrival at the shrine, the pope met privately with Portuguese Prime Minster Antonio Costa and then made his way into the sanctuary that houses the tombs of Sts. Francisco and Jacinta and their cousin Lucia, who died in 2005 at the age of 97. The diocesan phase of her sainthood cause concluded in February and now is under study at the Vatican.

Pope Francis stood for several minutes in front of the tombs with his eyes closed and head bowed. 

In his homily at the canonization Mass, the pope reflected on the brief lives of the young sibling saints, who are often remembered more for the apparitions rather than for their holy lives.

But it is Mary's message and example, rather than an apparition, is important, he told the crowd, which Portuguese authorities estimated at about 500,000 people.

"The Virgin Mother did not come here so that we could see her. We will have all eternity for that, provided, of course, that we go to heaven," the pope said. 

Instead, he continued, Mary's messages to the young children were a warning to all people about leading "a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures."

"Such a life -- frequently proposed and imposed -- risks leading to hell. Mary came to remind us that God's light dwells within us and protects us," the pope said. 

The hopeful message of Fatima, he said, is that men and women have a mother and like children clinging to her, "we live in the hope that rests on Jesus."

Pope Francis called on the pilgrims to follow the example of heroic virtue lived by St. Francisco and St. Jacinta, particularly their insistent prayer for sinners and their adoration of "the hidden Jesus" in the tabernacle. 

This continual presence of God taught to them by Mary, he said, "was the source of their strength in overcoming opposition and suffering."

By following their example, the pope said, Christians can become "a source of hope for others" and counter "the indifference that chills the heart" and "worsens our myopia."

"We do not want to be a stillborn hope! Life can survive only because of the generosity of other lives," he said. 

It is with the light of hope, the pope added, that the church can radiate "the true face of Jesus" and reach out to those in need. 

"Thus, may we rediscover the young and beautiful face of the church, which shines forth when she is missionary, welcoming, free, faithful, poor in means and rich in love," he said.

Addressing the sick before concluding the Mass, Pope Francis said that Christ understands the "meaning of sorrow and pain" and, through the church, offers comfort to the afflicted just as it did for Sts. Francisco and Jacinta in their final moments. 

"That is the church's ministry: the church asks the Lord to comfort the afflicted like yourselves, and he comforts you, even in ways you cannot see. He comforts you in the depths of your hearts and he comforts you with the gift of strength," the pope said. 

The "hidden Jesus" the young shepherds adored in the Eucharist is also present "in the wounds of our brothers and sisters" where Christians can adore, seek and recognize Christ.

Pope Francis encouraged the sick present at Mass to "live their lives as a gift" and to not think of themselves simply "as the recipients of charitable solidarity" but rather "a spiritual resource, an asset to every Christian community."

"Do not be ashamed of being a precious treasure of the church," he said.