On the last day of his apostolic journey to Egypt last week, Pope Francis said: “The experience of the disciples on the way to Emmaus teaches us that it is of no use to fill our places of worship if our hearts are empty of the fear of God and of His presence.
“It is of no use to pray if our prayer to God does not turn into love for our brothers and sisters. All our religiosity means nothing unless it is inspired by deep faith and charity.
“God is pleased only by a faith that is proclaimed by our lives, for the only fanaticism believers can have is that of charity.
“Any other fanaticism does not come from God and is not pleasing to Him.”
Strive for the dignity of workers
In Pope Francis’s message to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which is meeting this week in Rome, he said that even today there is still need for more struggles to protect the dignity of workers.
Francis added that millions of men and women are still excluded and marginalised.
He said the Church should move beyond the principle of solidarity to “increase the parameters of the traditional concept of justice”.
Echoing the words of Pope Pius XI, Pope Francis once more condemned the “international imperialism of money”.
The authentically Christian approach, the Pope said, understands that work, “before being conceived as a right, is recognised as a capacity and an inalienable need of each person”.
Call to oppose pro-abortion legislation
Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney, Australia, has encouraged Catholics to oppose proposed abortion legislation by signing a petition urging legislators to protect human life, and suggested voters to contact their Members of Parliament.
He further said that Catholics should become involved in the debate.
The proposed legislation would make abortion legal until the moment of birth.
Pope’s prayer intention for May
The prayer intention of Pope Francis for May is “that Christians in Africa, in imitation of the merciful Jesus, may give prophetic witness to reconciliation, justice and peace.”
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)