“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.”

Pope Francis on Sunday said defeats are not definitive for those who believe in Jesus Christ and trust in God’s love and forgiveness. In his prepared March 9 homily for the First Sunday of Lent, the Holy Father said difficulties and trials do not “end in failure” for Christians who embrace their relationship with God our redeemer.

Made of ashes and earth, we experience fragility through illness, poverty, and the hardships that can suddenly befall us and our families,” the pope said.

Francis, 88, was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that developed into double pneumonia.

Catholic cardinals in Rome marked the start of the Lent religious season on Wednesday without Pope Francis, as the 88-year-old spent his 20th day in hospital seriously ill with pneumonia. The Argentine pontiff,

On Wednesday, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, the Major Penitentiary, celebrated the traditional Mass beginning Lent at the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome, and read the homily prepared by Pope Francis.

At Ash Wednesday services there was special consideration for the leader of the church, Pope Francis, as he remains hospitalized.

Pope Francis is resting after sleeping through the night with a ventilation mask as he undergoes hospital treatment for double pneumonia.