Pope Francis - Happiness in this life: a passionate meditation on earthly existence

PART I
Y OUR S EARCH F OR A M EANINGFUL L IFE

PART II
Y OU AND O THERS : H APPINESS IN Y OUR R ELATIONSHIPS

PART III
A H UNDREDFOLD R EWARD P LUS S UFFERING

PART IV
T HEY W HO P RAY L IVE S ERENELY

The Beatitudes are Gods response to mans innate desire for happiness, and they complement the Commandments of the Old Testament. We are accustomed to learning the Ten Commandmentsof course you know them, you learned them in Sunday school!but we are not used to memorizing the Beatitudes. Let us try to remember them and imprint them upon our hearts.

First: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of Me.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in Heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Take the Gospel, the one you carry with youremember that you should always carry a little Gospel with you, in your pocket or purse. Always. The Beatitudes are found in chapter 5 of Matthew. Read them every day, try not to forget them. They are the Law that Jesus gives us!

These words contain all of Christs Gospel: All of Christs Gospel is found in these words. In fact, the Beatitudes are the essence of Jesus, His way of life; and they are the path to true happiness, which we, too, can travel with the grace that Jesus gives us.

General Audience, August 6, 2014

Dreams and Plans for the Future

With Christ, joy is constantly born anew.

E VANGELII G AUDIUM

T HE G OSPEL OF A FULFILLED LIFE

The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept His salvation are freed from sin, sorrow, emptiness, and loneliness.

Evangelii Gaudium 1

T HE GREAT QUESTION: I S HOPE POSSIBLE, HERE AND NOW?

The frantic pace of modern life seems to steal away all hope and joy from our daily lives. The pressures and the powerlessness we experience in so many situations seem to shrivel our souls; the countless challenges we face stupefy us, paralyze us. The world is speeding up to buildin theorya better society, yet paradoxically at the end of the day there is no time for anything or for anyone. We have no time to spend with our families or our communities, no time for friendship, for consensus, or for reflection.

We should ask ourselves: How can we enact the joy of the Gospel in our daily lives, in our cities? Is Christian hope possible, here and now?

These two questions shape our identity, the lives of our families, our towns, and our cities.

Homily, March 25, 2017

A SALAD WITH OIL

Jesus had just finished speaking about the dangers of wealth, and about how difficult it was for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Peter asked Him, We have left everything and followed You. What do we get in return? Jesus was generous with Peter. He said, Truthfully, I will say this: Everyone who left their homes or brothers or sisters or mothers or fathers or fields for My cause or for the Gospel will receive in return a hundredfold

Peter probably thought, This is good business, then, if I follow Jesus I will earn a hundredfold! But then Jesus added three small words: along with persecution. Yes, you will have eternal life. Yes, you left everything behind. Yes, you will receive many things here on earth as well. But you will also be persecuted.

Its like salad, served with the oil of persecution. This is a Christians reward. This is the path that a person who follows Jesus has to take. Because this is the path that He took: He, too, was persecuted.

Homily at Casa Santa Marta, June 9, 2014

O PEN YOUR HEART TO THE K INGDOM OF G OD

In the parables, Jesus tells us that the Kingdom comes into the world humbly, growing silently yet surely wherever it is welcomed by hearts open to its message of hope and salvation. The Gospel teaches us that the Spirit of Jesus can bring new life to every human heart and can transform any situation, even apparently hopeless ones. Jesus can change everything! This is the message that you are called on to share with the people around you: at school, in the workplace, in your families, in your universities and your communities. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we know that He has the words of eternal life (John 6:68), that His Word has the power to touch every heart, to conquer evil, and to change and redeem the world.