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March 16-22, 2020
The Beatitudes: A Christian's Identity Card
By Pope FrancisAbout the Theme
This year's online Lenten retreat consists of Pope FRancis's reflections on the Beatitudes from his 2018 Apostolic Exhortation on holiness in today's world ( Gaudete et exsultate).
"There can be any number of theories about what constitutes holiness, with various explanations and distinctions," the pope wrote, "But nothing is more enlightening than turning to Jesus’ words and seeing his way of teaching the truth.
The pope noted that the words "happy" or "blessed" are synonyms for the word "holy." He continued: "Jesus explained with great simplicity what it means to be holy when he gave us the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are like a Christian’s identity card. So if anyone asks: 'What must one do to be a good Christian?', the answer is clear. We have to do, each in our own way, what Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount. In the Beatitudes, we find a portrait of the Master, which we are called to reflect in our daily lives.About the Author
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936, the son of Italian immigrants. He graduated as a chemical technician and then entered the Diocesan Seminary of Villa Devoto. On March 11, 1958 he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus and graduated with a degree in philosophy from the Colegio de San José in San Miguel. He was ordained on December 13, 1969 and continued his training between 1970 and 1971 at the University of Alcalá de Henares, Spain. He made his final profession with the Jesuits on April 22, 1973. From 1973 to 1979 he served as Provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina, an office he held for six years. Pope John Paul II appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992 and as Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998. He was created Cardinal on February 21, 2001 and was elected pope March 13, 2013, when he took the name Francis. He is the first Jesuit and the first native of the Americas to be chosen as pope.
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Register for this year's Lenten Retreat
- By phone: call 319-233-0498
- By email: dbqwcaf@dbqarch.org
- Online: Click here to register online
[Last Update: 02.23.20]