At noon today, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful and with pilgrims who had gathered in Saint Peter's Square.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today's gospel invites us to reflect on the theme of salvation. Jesus is going up from Galilee to the city of Jerusalem and along the road, someone - we're told by the evangelist Luke - comes close to him and asks: Lord, will only a few be saved? (Lk 13:23). Jesus doesn't respond directly to the question: it's not important to know how many will be saved, but rather what is important is to know how to be saved. Jesus responds to the question by saying: Strive to enter by the narrow door, because many will try to enter, but will not succeed (v. 24). What does Jesus mean? What is the door by which we should enter? And why does Jesus speak of a narrow door?
The image of a door is used many times in the gospels and reminds us of the image of a house, of a hearth and a home where we find security, love and warmth. Jesus is saying that there is a door that lets us enter into the family of God, into the warmth of the house of God, into communion with Him. This door is Jesus himself (Jn 10:9). He is the door. He is the hallway that leads to salvation. He leads us to the Father. And the door which is Jesus is never closed, this door is never closed, it is always open and to all, without distinction, without exclusion, without privileges. Why? Do you know? Jesus doesn't exclude anyone. Someone among you might say to me: But, Father, surely I am excluded, because I am a great sinner: I have done such bad things, I haven't done anything with my life. No, you are not excluded! Precisely for this reason, you are the favorite, because Jesus prefers the sinner, always ... he wants to pardon you, to love you. Jesus is waiting for you, to embrace you, to forgive you. Don't be afraid: He is waiting for you. Have courage, and make your way to his door. Everyone is invited to pass through this door, to pass through the door of faith, to enter into his life, and to allow his life to enter into our life, because He transforms our life, renews it, gives it the gift of full and lasting joy.
Nowadays, we pass in front of many doors which invite us to enter, and promise a happiness that we come to realize lasts only but a moment: a happiness which is an end in and of itself, with no future. But I ask you: by which door do we want to enter? And who do we want to let in through the door of our life? I would like to say emphatically: we are not afraid to pass through the door of faith in Jesus, to let him enter little by little in our lives, to go outside of our own egotism, of our own enclosures, of our indifferences toward others because Jesus illuminates our lives with a light that never diminishes, never goes out. His light is not like fireworks, it isn't a flash! No! It is a tranquil, peaceful light that lasts forever. This is the light that we encounter when we enter through the door of Jesus.
It's true that this door is a narrow one, not because it leads to a torture chamber. No, it's not like that! The door is narrow because Jesus asks us to open our hearts to Him, to recognize our sins, our need for his salvation, for his forgiveness, for his love. He asks us to be humble and to welcome his mercy, to allow him to renew us in Himself. In the gospel, Jesus says that to be Christian doesn't mean that we have a ticket. I ask you: are you ticket Christians or true Christians? Each of you must answer this question for yourselves, in silence! We Christians can never be ticket Christians! We are true Christians, Christians at heart. To be Christian means that we must live and bear witness to the faith through our prayer, through works of charity, that we must promote justice, that we must always seek good. Every part of our lives must pass through the narrow door which is Christ.
We ask the Virgin Mary, Heaven's door, to help us to pass through the door of our faith, to allow her Son to transform our lives like he transformed hers, so that we can announce to all people the joy of the Gospel.
Call for prayer for Syria
With great suffering and concern, I continue to follow the situation in Syria. The increase in violence in a war between brothers, with the proliferation of massacres and atrocities, which we have all seen through the terrible images being broadcast in these days, cause me once more to raise my voice because there are increasing murmurings of weapons. Such clashes do not offer a perspective for hope of resolving the problems; rather solutions can only be found through meetings and dialogue.
From the depth of my heart, I wish to express my closeness in prayer and my solidarity with all the victims of this conflict, with all those who suffer, especially the children, and I invite all peoples to keep the hope of peace alive. I call upon the International Community, that it might be more sensitive to this tragic situation and use all means within its power to help the beloved Syrian nation to find a solution to a war which is sowing destruction and death.
All together, let us pray, everyone together, let us call upon the Madonna, Queen of Peace: Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
I cordially greet the pilgrims who are present: families, numerous groups and the Albergoni Associations. In particular, I greet the Sisters Superior of Saint Dorothy, the youth from Verona, Siracusa, Nave, Modica and Trento; the newly Confirmed from the Pastoral groupings of Angarano and Val Liona; the seminarians and priests from the Pontifical North American College, the labourers from Cuneo and the pilgrims from Verrua Po, San Zeno Naviglio, Urago d'Oglio, Varano Borghi and Sao Paolo, Brazil. For many of you, these are the final days of your summer holidays. I wish you all a safe return to your regular daily rountines; may you always look to the future with hope.
I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week! Enjoy your lunch. Goodbye!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today's gospel invites us to reflect on the theme of salvation. Jesus is going up from Galilee to the city of Jerusalem and along the road, someone - we're told by the evangelist Luke - comes close to him and asks: Lord, will only a few be saved? (Lk 13:23). Jesus doesn't respond directly to the question: it's not important to know how many will be saved, but rather what is important is to know how to be saved. Jesus responds to the question by saying: Strive to enter by the narrow door, because many will try to enter, but will not succeed (v. 24). What does Jesus mean? What is the door by which we should enter? And why does Jesus speak of a narrow door?
The image of a door is used many times in the gospels and reminds us of the image of a house, of a hearth and a home where we find security, love and warmth. Jesus is saying that there is a door that lets us enter into the family of God, into the warmth of the house of God, into communion with Him. This door is Jesus himself (Jn 10:9). He is the door. He is the hallway that leads to salvation. He leads us to the Father. And the door which is Jesus is never closed, this door is never closed, it is always open and to all, without distinction, without exclusion, without privileges. Why? Do you know? Jesus doesn't exclude anyone. Someone among you might say to me: But, Father, surely I am excluded, because I am a great sinner: I have done such bad things, I haven't done anything with my life. No, you are not excluded! Precisely for this reason, you are the favorite, because Jesus prefers the sinner, always ... he wants to pardon you, to love you. Jesus is waiting for you, to embrace you, to forgive you. Don't be afraid: He is waiting for you. Have courage, and make your way to his door. Everyone is invited to pass through this door, to pass through the door of faith, to enter into his life, and to allow his life to enter into our life, because He transforms our life, renews it, gives it the gift of full and lasting joy.
Nowadays, we pass in front of many doors which invite us to enter, and promise a happiness that we come to realize lasts only but a moment: a happiness which is an end in and of itself, with no future. But I ask you: by which door do we want to enter? And who do we want to let in through the door of our life? I would like to say emphatically: we are not afraid to pass through the door of faith in Jesus, to let him enter little by little in our lives, to go outside of our own egotism, of our own enclosures, of our indifferences toward others because Jesus illuminates our lives with a light that never diminishes, never goes out. His light is not like fireworks, it isn't a flash! No! It is a tranquil, peaceful light that lasts forever. This is the light that we encounter when we enter through the door of Jesus.
It's true that this door is a narrow one, not because it leads to a torture chamber. No, it's not like that! The door is narrow because Jesus asks us to open our hearts to Him, to recognize our sins, our need for his salvation, for his forgiveness, for his love. He asks us to be humble and to welcome his mercy, to allow him to renew us in Himself. In the gospel, Jesus says that to be Christian doesn't mean that we have a ticket. I ask you: are you ticket Christians or true Christians? Each of you must answer this question for yourselves, in silence! We Christians can never be ticket Christians! We are true Christians, Christians at heart. To be Christian means that we must live and bear witness to the faith through our prayer, through works of charity, that we must promote justice, that we must always seek good. Every part of our lives must pass through the narrow door which is Christ.
We ask the Virgin Mary, Heaven's door, to help us to pass through the door of our faith, to allow her Son to transform our lives like he transformed hers, so that we can announce to all people the joy of the Gospel.
Call for prayer for Syria
With great suffering and concern, I continue to follow the situation in Syria. The increase in violence in a war between brothers, with the proliferation of massacres and atrocities, which we have all seen through the terrible images being broadcast in these days, cause me once more to raise my voice because there are increasing murmurings of weapons. Such clashes do not offer a perspective for hope of resolving the problems; rather solutions can only be found through meetings and dialogue.
From the depth of my heart, I wish to express my closeness in prayer and my solidarity with all the victims of this conflict, with all those who suffer, especially the children, and I invite all peoples to keep the hope of peace alive. I call upon the International Community, that it might be more sensitive to this tragic situation and use all means within its power to help the beloved Syrian nation to find a solution to a war which is sowing destruction and death.
All together, let us pray, everyone together, let us call upon the Madonna, Queen of Peace: Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
I cordially greet the pilgrims who are present: families, numerous groups and the Albergoni Associations. In particular, I greet the Sisters Superior of Saint Dorothy, the youth from Verona, Siracusa, Nave, Modica and Trento; the newly Confirmed from the Pastoral groupings of Angarano and Val Liona; the seminarians and priests from the Pontifical North American College, the labourers from Cuneo and the pilgrims from Verrua Po, San Zeno Naviglio, Urago d'Oglio, Varano Borghi and Sao Paolo, Brazil. For many of you, these are the final days of your summer holidays. I wish you all a safe return to your regular daily rountines; may you always look to the future with hope.
I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week! Enjoy your lunch. Goodbye!
No comments:
Post a Comment