Holy Souls Church

A reflection from Pope Francis for the Year of Prayer

First Sunday of Advent

The world in divided in two: those people who do not give thanks and those who do; those who take everything as if it is owed them, and those who welcome everything as a gift, as grace.  The prayer of thanksgiving always begins from here: from the recognition that grace precedes us.

To read the full reflection and find more resources at dioceseofnottingham.uk/yearofprayer

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Quote of the Week:

"Charity is at the heart of the Church's social doctrine. Every responsibility and every commitment spelt out by that doctrine is derived from charity which, according to the teaching of Jesus, is the synthesis of the entire law. (Mt. 22: 36-40). It gives real substance to the personal relationship with God and with neighbour; it is the principle not only of micro-relationships (with friends, with family members, or within small groups) but also of macro-relationships (social, economic and political ones). For the Church, instructed by the Gospel, charity is everything because, as St. John teaches (cf. Jn 4:8, 16) and as I recalled in my first Encyclical Letter, "God is love" (Deus Caritas Est): everything has its origin in God's love, everything is shaped by it, everything is directed towards it. Love is God's greatest gift to humanity, it is his promise and our hope.  Pope Benedict XVI Caritas in Veritate 4.