Reflection: Joy springs from hope — the quiet confidence that God’s promises endure. Even in trials, we can rejoice because our hearts are held in His love. True joy is not fleeting; it is rooted in trust.
Reflexión: La alegría surge de la esperanza — la confianza silenciosa de que las promesas de Dios perduran. Incluso en las pruebas, podemos alegrarnos porque nuestros corazones están sostenidos en Su amor. La verdadera alegría no es efímera;
Está basado en la confianza.
Mary’s “yes” was a bold act of faith. Faith whispers trust even when the path is uncertain. This week, let us practice saying “yes” to God in small ways, believing God’s word will be fulfilled.
El “sí” de María fue un acto audaz de fe. La fe susurra confianza incluso cuando el camino es incierto. Esta semana, practiquemos decir “sí” a Dios de forma poco pequeña, creyendo que la palabra de Dios se cumplirá.
Advent, the season of preparation for Christmas is now underway (1 December-24 December).
The Cosmic wreath is rooted in “deep incarnation.” This invites us into a radically different relationship with the world, a relationship where everything and everyone matters.
Week 1 (December 1-7) : Birth of the Universe
Week 2 (December 8-14): Birth of the Solar system
Week 3 (December 15-21): Birth of Jesus, the Christ
Week 4 (December 22-24): My Birth into the whole Cosmic Body of the Universe
The 5th moment is centered in “All is One”, the moment that Pope Francis calls “the joy of our hope.”
We have the power to create a new world, and we have the power to destroy this one. How we choose depends on how we grasp this moment as the kiss of God, impelling us to stand up and speak. (Ilia Delio)
The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize Him at any moment in your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing
the coming of the Lord. (Henri Nouwen)
This vast ocean of our solar system is like a womb that has unfolded over some fivbillion years to become galaxies and stars, palms and pelicans, the music of Bach and each of us alive today. (Brian Swimme)
“God’s first idea” was to become manifest – to pour out divine, infinite love into finite visible forms. The “First Flaring Forth” (Big Bang) is now our scientific name for that first idea; and Christ is our theological name. Both are about LOVE and BEAUTY exploding outward in all directions.
(Richard Rohr)
In this video Elizabeth Davis rsm explores with us the meaning of the Cosmic Advent Wreath, grounded in “deep incarnation” and the way to create our own to mark the passage of the four weeks of Advent:
El Adviento, tiempo de preparación para la Navidad, ya está en marcha (del 1 al 24 de diciembre).
La Corona Cósmica tiene sus raíces en la «encarnación profunda». Esto nos invita a una relación radicalmente diferente con el mundo, una relación en la que todo y todos importan.
Semana 1: Nacimiento del Universo
Semana 2: Nacimiento del sistema solar
Semana 3: Nacimiento de Jesús, el Cristo
Semana 4: Mi Nacimiento en todo el Cuerpo Cósmico del Universo
El 5º momento se centra en «Todo es Uno», el momento que el Papa Francisco llama «la alegría de nuestra esperanza».
Tenemos el poder de crear un mundo nuevo, y tenemos el poder de destruir éste. Cómo elijamos depende de cómo captemos este momento como el beso de Dios, que nos impulsa a levantarnos y hablar. (Ilia Delio)
El Señor viene, siempre viene. Cuando tengas oídos para oír y ojos para ver, le reconocerás en cualquier momento de tu vida. La vida es Adviento; la vida es reconocerla venida del Señor. (Henri Nouwen)
Este vasto océano de nuestro sistema solar es como un útero que se ha desplegado a lo largo de unos cinco mil millones de años para convertirse en galaxias y estrellas, en palmeras y pelícanos, en la música de Bach y en cada uno de los que hoy vivimos. (Brian Swimme)
La «primera idea de Dios» fue manifestarse: derramar el amor divino e infinito en formas visibles finitas. El «Primer Estallido» (Big Bang) es ahora nuestro nombre científico para esa primera idea; y Cristo es nuestro nombre teológico. Ambos tienen que ver con el AMOR y la BELLEZA que estallan en todas direcciones.
(Richard Rohr)
As Advent begins, we remember that God’s light is stronger than all darkness. God’s promise brings peace to every waiting heart. Hope is not a mere wish but a confident trust in God’s faithful presence.
Al comenzar el Adviento, recordamos que la luz de Dios es más fuerte que toda oscuridad. La promesa de Dios trae paz a cada corazón que espera. La esperanza no es un simple deseo, sino una confianza confiada en la fiel presencia de Dios.
Vatican Media have launched a documentary today, 11 September: ‘Leo from Chicago’ about the background of Robert Francis Prevost in his native United States.
The film begins with his childhood in Dolton, through the memories of his brothers Louis and John, and continues among schools and universities, communities and parishes, featuring the voices of confreres, teachers, classmates, and longtime friends.
Produced by journalists Deborah Castellano Lubov, Salvatore Cernuzio, and Felipe Herrera-Espaliat from the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Chicago and theApostolate El Sembrador Nueva Evangelización.
Watch the documentary here
Vatican Media ha estrenado hoy, 11 de septiembre, el documental «Leo from Chicago», sobre los orígenes de Robert Francis Prevost en su país natal, Estados Unidos.
La película comienza con su infancia en Dolton, a través de los recuerdos de sus hermanos Louis y John, y continúa entre escuelas y universidades, comunidades y parroquias, con las voces de compañeros, profesores, compañeros de clase y amigos de toda la vida.
Producida por los periodistas Deborah Castellano Lubov, Salvatore Cernuzio y Felipe Herrera-Espaliat, del Dicasterio para la Comunicación del Vaticano, en colaboración con la Arquidiócesis de Chicago y el Apostolado El Sembrador Nueva Evangelización.
This month Pope Leo asks us to pray for those who are struggling with thoughts of suicide. He remincs us that all of us are vulnerable and that Christian communities must be welcoming, open to listening, and full of hope.
Every day about 2 thousand people in the world take their lives. It is the third leading cause of death among young people. In this context, we are invited to join our prayer with that of Pope Leo: “that those who are struggling with suicidal thoughts might find the support, care and love they need in their community, and be open to the beauty of life.”
Este mes, el papa León nos pide que recemos por aquellos que luchan contra pensamientos suicidas. Nos recuerda que todos somos vulnerables y que las comunidades cristianas deben ser acogedoras, abiertas a escuchar y llenas de esperanza.
Cada día, unas 2000 personas en el mundo se quitan la vida. Es la tercera causa de muerte entre los jóvenes. En este contexto, se nos invita a unir nuestra oración a la del papa León: «para que quienes luchan contra pensamientos suicidas puedan encontrar el apoyo, el cuidado y el amor que necesitan en su comunidad, y estén abiertos a la belleza de la vida».
Queen Camilla met with a group of women religious from the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) in Rome on Thursday [23rd October 2025], expressing her deep admiration for their service to accompany people living in conditions of conflict, poverty, and displacement across the world.
The encounter took place at the Pontifical Beda College following an ecumenical celebration at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, attended by King Charles III and Queen Camilla during their official visit to the Holy See…
The Queen thanked the UISG members for what she described as “work that brings light in dark places” and for their enduring witness of faith and compassion…
Read the complete article here
Source: Vatican News
Image: Vatican News
La reina Camilla se reunió con un grupo de religiosas de la Unión Internacional de Superioras Generales (UISG) en Roma el jueves [23 de octubre de 2025] y expresó su profunda admiración por su labor de acompañamiento a personas que viven en condiciones de conflicto, pobreza y desplazamiento en todo el mundo.
El encuentro tuvo lugar en el Pontificio Colegio Beda, tras una celebración ecuménica en la Basílica de San Pablo Extramuros, a la que asistieron el rey Carlos III y la reina Camilla durante su visita oficial a la Santa Sede…
La reina agradeció a los miembros de la UISG lo que describió como «una labor que lleva la luz a lugares oscuros» y su testimonio perdurable de fe y compasión…
Lea el artículo completo aquí (English)
Fuente: Vatican News
Imagen: Vatican News
“Allowing millions of human beings to live — and die — as victims of hunger is a collective failure, an ethical aberration, a historical fault,” Pope Leo XIV said on World Food Day yesterday. Source: OSV News.
The Pope addressed world leaders and government representatives at the Rome headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation. In addition to marking World Food Day, the delegates were celebrating the 80th anniversary of FAO’s establishment.
In his speech, Pope Leo decried the fact that while humanity has made huge advances in technology, medicine, agriculture and transportation, 673 million people go to bed hungry each night, and 2.3 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet.
The FAO statistics are not just numbers, he said, “behind each of these numbers is a broken life, a vulnerable community.”
“This is not a coincidence, but the clear sign of a prevailing insensitivity, of a soulless economy, of a questionable model of development, and of an unjust and unsustainable system of resource distribution.”
Perhaps referring to the situation in Gaza, but also to other war zones, the Pope said that “current conflict scenarios have brought back the use of food as a weapon of war”…
Pope Leo XIV’s first Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi te (‘I have loved you’), sees the love of Christ incarnated in love for the poor, in caring for the sick, opposing slavery, defending women who experience exclusion and violence, making education available to all, accompanying migrants, charitable giving, working for equality and more…
Following in the footsteps of his predecessorsWith this document, signed on 4 October, the feast of Saint Francis of Assis, Pope Leo situates himself firmly on the path laid out by his predecessors, including Saint John XXIII, with his appeal, in Mater et Magistra, to wealthier countries not to remain indifferent to nations oppressed by hunger and extreme poverty (83)…
Pope Leo’s Exhortation offers numerous points for reflection and calls for action in its analysis of the many “faces of the poor and of poverty”, including “the poverty of those who lack material means of subsistence” or “who are socially marginalized and lack the means to give voice to their dignity and abilities” (9).
Pope Leo also notes the existence of moral, spiritual, and cultural poverty; the poverty of “those who have no rights, no space, no freedom” (9).
Confronted with this reality, Pope Leo says that although “the commitment to the poor and to removing the social and structural causes of poverty has gained importance in recent decades… it remains insufficient” (10).
He warns of the emergence of new, sometimes “more subtle and dangerous” forms of poverty, and decries economic “rules” that increase wealth for a few but also increase inequality (10, 13).
“I can only state once more that inequality ‘is the root of social ills’” (94)
Source: Vatican News
Se ha publicado la primera exhortación apostólica de Robert Francis Prevost, un trabajo iniciado por Francisco sobre el tema del servicio a los pobres, en cuyo rostro encontramos “el sufrimiento de los inocentes”. El Papa denuncia la economía que mata, la falta de equidad, la violencia contra las mujeres, la desnutrición y la emergencia educativa.
Con este documento firmado el 4 de octubre, festividad de San Francisco de Asís, el Pontífice agustino sigue los pasos de sus predecesores: Juan XXIII, con su llamamiento a los países ricos en Mater et Magistra para que no permanecieran indiferentes ante los países oprimidos por el hambre y la miseria (83)…
Son numerosos los motivos de reflexión y los impulsos a la acción en la exhortación de Robert Francis Prevost, en la que se analizan los “rostros” de la pobreza. La pobreza de “los que no tienen medios de sustento material”, “del que está marginado socialmente y no tiene instrumentos para dar voz a su dignidad y a sus capacidades”, la pobreza “moral”, “espiritual”, “cultural”; la pobreza “del que no tiene derechos, ni espacio, ni libertad” (9).
Ante este panorama, el Santo Padre considera “insuficiente” el compromiso para eliminar las causas estructurales de la pobreza en sociedades marcadas “por numerosas desigualdades”, por la aparición de nuevas formas de pobreza “más sutiles y peligrosas” (10), por normas económicas que han aumentado la riqueza, “pero sin equidad”.
“La falta de equidad es raíz de los males sociales” (94)
Fuente: Vatican News
By Francesca Merlo. Source: Vatican News
On Wednesday afternoon, marking the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, Pope Leo XIV addressed participants in the
Raising Hope Conference, organised by the Laudato Si’ Movement.
In his address, the Pope expressed gratitude for the legacy of Pope Francis’ encyclical, noting how its message has inspired schools, dioceses, academic programmes, and international dialogue.
“Its impact,” he said, “has extended to summits, interreligious initiatives, economic and business circles, as well as theological and bioethical studies.” Above all, he noted that the phrase “care for our common home” has become a standard phrase, used in academic work and public discourse across peoples and continents.
While recalling the achievements of the past decade, Pope Leo emphasised that the challenges identified in Laudato Si’ are “even more relevant today than they were ten years ago.” These challenges, he said, are not only political and social, but also spiritual, calling for what Pope Francis described as a “conversion of heart.”
The Pope explained that the heart “is where the deepest searching takes place, where one’s ultimate identity is found, and where decisions are forged. It is only by returning to the heart that a true ecological conversion can take place.” This transformation, he continued, means shifting “from collecting data to caring; from environmental discourse to lifestyles inspired by faith and love of God.”
Quoting Pope Francis’ description of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Holy Father reminded participants that ecological concern, justice for the poor, social commitment, and inner peace are inseparable.
Looking ahead to upcoming global summits, including COP30 and the UN’s 2026 Water Conference, the Pope urged leaders to heed the cries of “the Earth and the poor, families, indigenous peoples, involuntary migrants and believers throughout the world.”
Concluding his address, Pope Leo asked the question: “God will ask us if we have cultivated and cared for the world that He created, and if we have taken care of our brothers and sisters. What will be our answer?”
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