Pope Benedict XVI has said that although the September 11 terror attacks “darkened the dawn of the third millennium,” God’s mercy is still stronger than evil.

The Pope made the remarks on September 16 at his summer villa outside Rome, where hundreds of pilgrims crowded the courtyard for a Sunday blessing.

He spoke about divine mercy as illustrated in Gospel parables, especially shown to those who “stray from the right path.”
In our time, he said, “humanity needs the mercy of God to be proclaimed and witnessed with vigor.”

He said his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, had been an “apostle of divine mercy” and understood its importance for the modern world.

“After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, which darkened the dawn of the third millennium, he (Pope John Paul) invited Christians and people of good will to believe that the mercy of God is stronger than any evil, and that only in the cross of Christ is found the salvation of the world,” he said.

Pope Benedict offered a prayer that people would trust in God’s love and become more merciful in their own lives.

He said the core message of the Gospel is precisely that “God is merciful love.”

“In the end, this is why (Jesus) came into the world: to speak to us about the Father, and to make him known to us, the lost children, and revive in our hearts the joy of belonging to him,” he said.

- Courtesy of The Universe

JM , 9 yrs.

 Photo taken Sept. 16, 2007

When you were born , I thanked God for the blessing He has given me. I made Him a promise , at the right time , I will offer you back to Him , to serve His Church. May you continue with this good work in the years to come. You are my joy and my pride . God Bless you always.

In the early morning rain ,  I was greeted by the sweet fragrance of a blooming yellow cattleya , which was just a bud yesterday.

Before noon today , the partially opened bud , has blossomed completely , in all it’s golden glory.

A  cattleya plant with multiple blooms filling the air with sweet fragrance.