At 12 noon today, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the faithful and with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square.
Greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis
introducing the prayer of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
First I want to thank God for the day that I spent in Assisi, the day before yesterday. I think this was the first time I have ever visited Assisi and it was a great gift to be able to make this pilgrimage on the feast of Saint Francis. I thank the people of Assisi for their warm welcome: thanks a lot!
Today, the Gospel passage begins: At that time the apostles said to the Lord: Increase our faith! (Lk 17:5-6). I think we can all make this invocation our own. Like the Apostles, we too can say to the Lord Jesus, Increase our faith. Yes, Lord, our faith is small, our faith is weak, fragile, but I offer it as it is, because you make it grow. I think it would do us well to repeat this all together: Lord, increase our faith! Shall we do it? All together: Lord, increase our faith! Lord, increase our faith! Lord, increase our faith and make it grow!
And the Lord what does he respond? He says, If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you (v. 6). The mustard seed is very small, but Jesus says that you just have to have faith: a small amount of faith, but real, sincere faith in order to do things that are humanly impossible, unthinkable. And it's true! We all know simple, humble people who have very strong faith, and they really can move mountains! Consider for example, certain mothers and fathers who face very heavy or complicated situations or think of the sick, some of whom face very serious illness but they convey serenity to those who go to visit with them. These people, because of their faith, do not boast about what they do, indeed, as requested by Jesus in the Gospel, they say: We are useless servants. We did only what was expected of us (Lk 17:10). How many people among us have this strength of faith, this level of humility? It does so much good for others to witness it!
During this month of October, which is especially dedicated to the missions, we think of many missionaries, men and women, who bring the Gospel to others, having overcome obstacles of all kinds; they have really given their lives, as St. Paul says to Timothy: Do not ashamed to give witness to our Lord, nor of me, who are in prison for him, but, with God's strength, suffer with me for the Gospel (2 Tim 1:8). This, however, applies to all: each of us, in our lives each day, can bear witness to Christ, by the power of God, the power of faith. The faith that we have may be very small, but it can also be very strong! With this strength, we bear witness to Jesus Christ, we are able to be Christians filled with life through the witness we provide!
And who or what do we draw strength from? We draw our strength from God in prayer. Prayer is the breath of faith: in a relationship of trust, in a relationship of love, we can not miss out on the dialogue, for prayer is the dialogue of the soul with God. October is also the month of the Rosary, and on this first Sunday of October, it is traditional to recite a Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii, the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary. We unite ourselves spiritually for this act of faith in our Mother, and receive the Rosary from her hands: the Rosary is a school of prayer, the Rosary is a school of faith!
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday, in Modena, Rolando Rivi, a seminarian from the land, Emilia, who was killed in 1945 when he was 14, because of hatred for his faith, was beatified. He was guilty only of wearing a cassock in that period of violence unleashed against the clergy, and raised his voice to condemn the massacres in the name of God during the immediate postwar period. But faith in Jesus overcomes the spirit of the world! Let us thank God for this young martyr, a heroic witness of the Gospel. And how many young 14 year old people now have before their eyes this example of faith: a brave young man who knew where he was going. He knew the love of Jesus in his heart and gave his life for Him. What a fine example for young people!
I remember with you the people who lost their lives in Lampedusa, last Thursday. Let us all pray in silence for these, our brothers and sisters: women, men and children ... Let our hearts cry out for them. Let us pray in silence.
I affectionately greet all the pilgrims, especially the families and parish groups. I greet the faithful of the city of Mede, those from Poggio Rusco, and the youth from Zambana and Caserta.
A special thought is reserved for the Peruvian community of Rome, which brought in procession the sacred image of the Señor de los Milagros. I see this image here, there, in the middle of the square. I greet all the Señor de los Milagros, there, in the Piazza! I greet the faithful from Chile and the group Bürgerwache Mengen from the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, Germany.
I greet the group of women who have come from Gubbio, the so-called Via Francigena Francescana. I greet the leaders of the Community of Sant'Egidio in several Asian countries - they are good people, those followers of Sant'Egidio! I greet the ASFA blood donors from Verona and those of AVIS Carpinone; AGESCI the National Council, the group of retired persons from Sant'Anna Hospital in Como, the Canossian Institute of Brescia and the Effatà Mission Association.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Enjoy your lunch! Goodbye!
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