At noon today, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of the study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, and recited the Angelus with the faithful and with pilgrims who had come to Saint Peter's Square.
Here is an English-language translation of the words with which the Pope introduced the Marian prayer:
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In this Sunday's gospel, one of the most decisive words of Jesus resounds: Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will save it (Lk 9:24). Here we have a synthesis of Christ's message, and it is expressed through a very intriguing paradox, which allows us to appreciate his manner of speech, almost as though we can hear his voice ...
But what does it mean to lose a life for the sake of Jesus? This can be understood in two ways: explicitly confessing faith or implicitly defending the truth. The martyrs provide the best examples of losing a life for Christ. Over the last two millenia there have been an immense number of men and women who have sacrificed their lives in order to remain faithful to Jesus Christ and to his Gospel. And today, in so many parts of the world, there are many, many - more than there were in the first centuries - so many martyrs, who give their lives for Christ, who are put to death for not renouncing Jesus Christ. This is our Church. Today, we have more martyrs than we did during the earliest centuries of the Church! But there is also a daily martyrdom which does not lead to death but is also a loss of life for Christ. It involves the accomplishment of our duty with love, according to Jesus' logic, the logic of gift and sacrifice. Let us think for a moment: how many fathers and mothers practice their faith every day, concretely offering their own lives for the good of their families! Let us think of these! How many priests, monks, nuns generously serve others for the sake of the kingdom of God! How many young people give up their own interests in order to devote themselves to the good of children, of the disabled, of the elderly ... These too are martyrs! Daily martyrs, everyday martyrs!
And then there are so many people, Christians and non-Christians alike, who lose their lives for the truth. Christ said, I am the truth and those who serve the truth serve Christ.
One of the people who gave his life for the truth was John the Baptist. Tomorrow, June 24 is his great feast day, the Solemnity of his birth. John was chosen by God to prepare the way for Jesus, and he pointed him out to the people of Israel as the Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (cf. Jn 1:29). John devoted himself entirely to God and to his messenger, Jesus. But in the end, what happened? He died in the cause of truth when he denounced the adultery of King Herod and Herodias. How many people pay dearly for their commitment to the truth! How many righteous men and women prefer to go against the current so as not to deny the voice of conscience, the voice of truth! Righteous people, who are not afraid to go against the tide, when others would rather steal hope, when others would offer values that are damaged, values like food that has gone bad, and when we eat food that has gone bad, we get sick; these values make us sick. We must go against the grain! And you young people: be the first to go against the tide and be proud of the fact that you choose to go against the tide. Go on, be brave, go against the tide, and be proud of it.
Dear friends, joyfully welcome this word that Jesus has spoken. It is a rule of life proposed for everyone. And Saint John the Baptist will help you to put it into practice.
As always, our Mother, Holy Mary precedes us on this road. She lost her life for Jesus, even to the point of suffering beneath the cross, and she received life in all its fullness, with the light and beauty of the Resurrection. May Mary help us to always make the logic of the gospel our own.
At the conclusion of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Remember well: Do not be afraid to go against the tide! Be courageous! And so, just as we don't want to eat food that has gone bad, we must also choose not to perpetuate values that are twisted and that can ruin our lives, taking away the gift of hope. Let's go!
I affectionately greet the families, parish groups, associations and school groups. I greet the students from the diocesan Liceo in Vipàva, Slovenia, the Polish community of Ascoli Piceno, the UNITALSI from Ishia di Castro, the boys from the Oratory of Urgnano - I can see their flag. Well done! You are good! I greet the faithful from Pordenone, the Sisters and the hospital workers from the Miulli hospital in Aquaviva delle Fonti, and a group of union delegates from Veneto.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Pray for me, and enjoy your lunch!
Here is an English-language translation of the words with which the Pope introduced the Marian prayer:
Greeting of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
before the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In this Sunday's gospel, one of the most decisive words of Jesus resounds: Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will save it (Lk 9:24). Here we have a synthesis of Christ's message, and it is expressed through a very intriguing paradox, which allows us to appreciate his manner of speech, almost as though we can hear his voice ...
But what does it mean to lose a life for the sake of Jesus? This can be understood in two ways: explicitly confessing faith or implicitly defending the truth. The martyrs provide the best examples of losing a life for Christ. Over the last two millenia there have been an immense number of men and women who have sacrificed their lives in order to remain faithful to Jesus Christ and to his Gospel. And today, in so many parts of the world, there are many, many - more than there were in the first centuries - so many martyrs, who give their lives for Christ, who are put to death for not renouncing Jesus Christ. This is our Church. Today, we have more martyrs than we did during the earliest centuries of the Church! But there is also a daily martyrdom which does not lead to death but is also a loss of life for Christ. It involves the accomplishment of our duty with love, according to Jesus' logic, the logic of gift and sacrifice. Let us think for a moment: how many fathers and mothers practice their faith every day, concretely offering their own lives for the good of their families! Let us think of these! How many priests, monks, nuns generously serve others for the sake of the kingdom of God! How many young people give up their own interests in order to devote themselves to the good of children, of the disabled, of the elderly ... These too are martyrs! Daily martyrs, everyday martyrs!
And then there are so many people, Christians and non-Christians alike, who lose their lives for the truth. Christ said, I am the truth and those who serve the truth serve Christ.
One of the people who gave his life for the truth was John the Baptist. Tomorrow, June 24 is his great feast day, the Solemnity of his birth. John was chosen by God to prepare the way for Jesus, and he pointed him out to the people of Israel as the Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (cf. Jn 1:29). John devoted himself entirely to God and to his messenger, Jesus. But in the end, what happened? He died in the cause of truth when he denounced the adultery of King Herod and Herodias. How many people pay dearly for their commitment to the truth! How many righteous men and women prefer to go against the current so as not to deny the voice of conscience, the voice of truth! Righteous people, who are not afraid to go against the tide, when others would rather steal hope, when others would offer values that are damaged, values like food that has gone bad, and when we eat food that has gone bad, we get sick; these values make us sick. We must go against the grain! And you young people: be the first to go against the tide and be proud of the fact that you choose to go against the tide. Go on, be brave, go against the tide, and be proud of it.
Dear friends, joyfully welcome this word that Jesus has spoken. It is a rule of life proposed for everyone. And Saint John the Baptist will help you to put it into practice.
As always, our Mother, Holy Mary precedes us on this road. She lost her life for Jesus, even to the point of suffering beneath the cross, and she received life in all its fullness, with the light and beauty of the Resurrection. May Mary help us to always make the logic of the gospel our own.
At the conclusion of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Remember well: Do not be afraid to go against the tide! Be courageous! And so, just as we don't want to eat food that has gone bad, we must also choose not to perpetuate values that are twisted and that can ruin our lives, taking away the gift of hope. Let's go!
I affectionately greet the families, parish groups, associations and school groups. I greet the students from the diocesan Liceo in Vipàva, Slovenia, the Polish community of Ascoli Piceno, the UNITALSI from Ishia di Castro, the boys from the Oratory of Urgnano - I can see their flag. Well done! You are good! I greet the faithful from Pordenone, the Sisters and the hospital workers from the Miulli hospital in Aquaviva delle Fonti, and a group of union delegates from Veneto.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Pray for me, and enjoy your lunch!
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