The Vatican Publishing House, Libreria Editrice Vaticana releases Pope Francis’ new book “Holy, not Worldly. God’s Grace Saves Us from Interior Corruption” !
Here’s the preface :

Christian life is a battle, an interior combat to overcome the temptation of closing ourselves, and to let the love of our Father who desires our happiness to dwell within us.
It is a beautiful battle, because when we let the Lord be victorious in us, our heart exults fully and our existence is illuminated by a ray of the infinite.
The battle we carry out as followers of Jesus is first of all a battle against spiritual worldliness, which is a form of paganism in ecclesiastical clothing.
Though it be camouflaged with the appearance of the sacred, it ends up being idolatrous, because it does not recognize the presence of God as Lord, and liberator of our lives and of the history of the world. It leaves us prey to our capricious desires.

Therefore, we must fight.
But our battle is not vain, nor without hope, because this battle has already been won by Jesus, who overcame the strength of sin in his death.
With his resurrection, he has made it possible for us to become new persons.

Of course, the victory of Jesus has a name, the cross, which at first repels us and pushes us away. But it is the sign of a limitless love, humble and tenacious.
Jesus loved us to the point of the ignominious death on a cross in order that we no longer be able to doubt that his arms will remain open, even for the last of the sinners.
This eternal love calls and orients the life of Christians, and of the Church herself. The cross of Jesus becomes the criterion of every choice of faith.

Blessed Pierre Claverie, the bishop of Oran, affirmed this in one of his beautiful homilies that I would like to quote here :
« I believe that the Church dies if it is not sufficiently close to the cross of her Lord. Though it may seem paradoxical, strength, vitality, hope, Christian fruitfulness, the fruitfulness of the Church come from here.
Not from elsewhere. All the rest is but smoke in our eyes, worldly illusion. The Church betrays herself, and betrays the world, when it stands like a power among powers, or like an organization, even a humanitarian one, or like an evangelical movement capable of making a splash. It may even shine, but it does not burn with the fire of the love of God, ‘strong as death’ – as the Song of Songs puts it. »

This is why I wanted to collect in this short volume two essays which were published at different times : one, written in 1991 when I was the archbishop of Buenos Aires, dedicated to corruption and sin ; and the other, a Letter to the priests of Rome.
They are united by the concern, which I feel to be a loud call from God to the entire Church, to remain vigilant and to fight with the strength of prayer against every concession to spiritual worldliness.

This battle has a name : it is called holiness.
Holiness is not a state of beatitude which one has reached once and for all. It is instead the incessant, tireless desire to remain attached to the cross of Jesus, letting ourselves be shaped by the logic that comes from the gift of self, and from resisting the enemy who flatters us by convincing us that we are self-sufficient.
It would do us well to remember what Jesus said : “Without me you can do nothing”(Jn 15:5). Holiness is therefore remaining open to the “more” that God asks of us and that is manifested in our adherence to our daily lives.
Father Alfred Delp wrote : “God embraces us through reality”. Our daily lives are the place in which we make room for the Lord, who saves us from self-sufficiency, and which requires of us that magis which Saint Ignatius of Loyola spoke about : that “more” that urges us toward a happiness which is not ephemeral, but full and serene.

I offer these texts to the reader as an opportunity to reflect on his life and on the life of the Church, with the conviction that God asks us to be open to His newness, he asks us to be unquiet and never satisfied, searching and never stuck in comfortable opacity, not defended within the walls of false certainties, but walking on the road of holiness.

---

Philippians 2:1-5 :
Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.

---

On a personal note :
I’ve began reading a text( chosen randomly) yesterday, it’s from an anonymous pilgrim of the XIXth century, and starts with :
« By the grace of God, i am a christian ; by my deeds, a great sinner ; and, by calling, a homeless rover of the lowest status in life.
My possessions comprise but some rusk in a knapsack on my back, and the Holy Bible on my bosom. »

I’m only on chapter 5 out of 40, but it begins slowly, searching for a way to pray perpetually. Progressively explaining through his journey why it’s important, and why it seems harder than at first thought(, or even impossible, such as during our sleep).
This long research doesn’t come to fruition only at the end though, but as soon as the fifth chapter :
« The elder found the teaching of Nicephorus the monk, and began to read : “If after some efforts you do not succeed in reaching the region of the heart in the manner you have been told, do what I am about to tell you, and with the help of God you will find what you are seeking. The faculty of speech is located in the larynx, as you know. Drive back all other thoughts—you can do it if you wish—and use that faculty in saying constantly the following words : ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.’ Make yourself do so at all times. If you persist in it for a while, your heart by this means will be open to prayer without doubt. This is known from experience.”
“Here, you have the teaching of Holy Fathers dealing with these cases,” said the elder. “Therefore, you must accept it with confidence, and repeat the oral Jesus Prayer as often as possible.
Take this rosary. Use it in saying three thousand prayers every day in the beginning. Whether you sit or stand, walk or lie down, constantly repeat : ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.’ »

---

The Pope points to path for an inclusive and caring economy(, i didn’t managed to quickly find the original speech) :
« Pope Francis sends a message to young economists taking part in the annual “Economy of Francesco” meeting.
In a world where disparities are growing, this [concept of “coincidentia oppositorum”] calls for balance, cooperation, and a recognition that both sides can coexist for the common good.
Urging young economists to expand their perspectives and make room for diverse voices, particularly those that have long been excluded, the Holy Father emphasizes the importance of valuing the viewpoints of women and the marginalized.
Their unique insights, he notes, can shift our focus from material possessions to meaningful relationships, from wealth accumulation to equitable distribution, and from abstraction to tangible realities.
Just as a pilgrim’s journey is marked by challenges and dust, the Pope says it is necessary to get one’s hands dirty in the pursuit of the common good. [If there’s a reader here, would s.he mind giving below their interpretation of this sentence ?]
A pilgrim’s journey, he adds, is also an encouragement to be peacemakers and advocates for justice within the economic realm.
It is clear, the Pope concludes, that change takes time and requires resourcefulness.
It may not be possible to immediately integrate new economic approaches into existing systems, but this should not deter us.
We must have the patience to let our efforts evolve gradually and nurture the determination to establish enduring connections.
As we strive for a more just and inclusive economic world, persistence and resilience are essential virtues. »

---

From the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:12-14) :
After Jesus had been taken up into heaven, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away.
When they entered the city, they went to the upper room where they were staying, but Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

---

From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:26-38) :
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace ! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
[note : The house of Jacob is comprised of the houses/kindgoms of Ephraim/Israel and Judah. Judah was the son of Jacob b.t.w., as all patriarchs of Ephraim/Israel(, 10 tribes : Reuben, Simon, Zebulun, Gad, Issaskar, Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, and Ephraim, the last two being the sole exception as they are not sons of Jacob but of his twelfth child : Joseph. That’s a lot of “J”, as in Jew, Judah, Jesus, John the Baptist, Jerusalem, … Mark&Matthew would then correspond to Joseph’s eldest son Manasseh ?), and of Judah(, sometimes included in the word Israel, but never in Ephraim)(, 3 tribes : Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, but the tribe of Levi didn’t have any land), they were separated in two after Solomon’s reign.
Jacob’s name was changed by the Lord to Isra’el(, meaning to strive&overcome with El/God).
Joshua (Yehoshua/Yahshuah/Yeshua in hebrew, Jesus in latin, ~“God save”), whose father’s name is very similar to Nun and means “fish” in aramaic, was of the tribe of Ephraim, and the one who lead the children of Israel into Canaan after Moses’ death. Jeroboam the first was also an Ephraimite who lead the ten tribes(,slightly alternative map,) into the north to establish the Northern Kingdom of Ephraim/Israel, which included Samaria and Galilee, while Judah&Benjamin stayed loyal to Solomon’s son Rehoboam.]
But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren ; for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

---

Holy Quran, Surah 5(« The Table( Spread with Food) »), ayat 109-119(, absolutely zero reason to feel insulted) :

The Day when Allah will gather together the Messengers and say : ‘What answer were you given ?’
They will reply : 'We have no real knowledge of it. You alone fully know all that lies beyond the reach of human perception.

Imagine, then, when Allah will say : 'Jesus, son of Mary, recall My favour upon you and your mother, and when I strengthened you with the spirit of holiness, so that you talked to men in the cradle, and also when you became of age [as all of us, we’re all indebted] ; and when I taught you the Book and Wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel ; and when, by My leave, you fashioned from clay the likeness of a bird and you breathed into it, and by My leave it became a bird ; you healed, by My leave, the blind from birth, and the leprous ; and when, by My leave, you caused the dead to come to life.
And recall when I restrained the Israelites from you, when you came to them with clear proofs whereupon those of them who disbelieved said : “This is nothing but clear magic.”
And recall when I revealed to the disciples to believe in Me, and in My Messenger, they said : “We do believe, and we bear witness that we indeed are the ones who submit to Allah”
Also recall when the disciples asked Jesus, son of Mary : ‘Jesus, son of Mary, has your Lord the power to send down to us a repast from the heaven ?’. Thereupon, Jesus said : ‘Fear Allah if you do indeed have faith.’
Jesus, son of Mary, then prayed: ‘O Allah, our Lord, send down to us a repast from the heavens that shall be a festival for the first of us and for the last of us, and a sign from You. And provide us with sustenance, for You are the best Provider of sustenance.’
Allah said : ‘I shall indeed send it down to you ; then, I shall afflict whoever among you who disbelieves with a chastisement, wherewith I will afflict none in the worlds.’

And imagine when thereafter Allah will say : ‘Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to people : “Take me and my mother for gods beside Allah ?”’
And he will answer : “Glory to You ! It was not for me to say what I had no right to. Had I said so, You would surely have known it. You know all that is within my mind, whereas I do not know what is within Yours. You, indeed You, know fully all that is beyond the reach of human perception. I said to them nothing except what You commanded me, that is : ‘Serve Allah, my Lord and your Lord’. I watched over them as long as I remained among them ; and when You did recall me, then You Yourself became the Watcher over them. Indeed, You are Witness over everything.
If You chastise them, they are Your servants ; and if You forgive them, You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise”. Thereupon Allah will say : 'This day truthfulness shall profit the truthful.

---

Saints of today :
St. Mark, Pope
Sts. Sergius e Bacchus, Martyrs of Syria