At noon today in Rome, the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to address the gathered pilgrims and the faithful who were present in Saint Peter's Square, and to recite the Angelus with them.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
The scripture passage taken from the Gospel of Saint Luke for this morning's Mass shows Jesus who, on his way toward Jerusalem, enters the city of Jericho. This is the final segment of a voyage which in a sense sums up the entirety of Jesus' life, dedicated to seeking out and saving the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But it seems as though the more this voyage approaches its goal, the more Jesus seems to be struggle with an ever-present circle of hostility.
Yet in Jericho, one of the most beautiful events is recounted by Saint Luke: the conversion of Zacchaeus. This man is a lost sheep, one of the despised and even excommunicated because he is one of the collectors, in fact he is the chief tax collector for the city, a friend of the hated Roman occupants, a thief and a liar.
Prevented from approaching Jesus, probably because of his bad reputation, and being small in stature, Zacchaeus climbs a tree in order to see the Master who is passing by. This outward gesture, appears to be a bit ridiculous, yet it expresses the interior conviction of a man who is willing to overcome the crowd in order to establish contact with Jesus. Zacchaeus himself does not realize the profound nature of his gesture; he doesn't understand why he does what he does, yet he does it. He doesn't even dare to hope that he might traverse the distance that separates him from the Lord; he resigns himself to only being able to see Jesus as he passes by. But when Jesus arrives in the vicinity of the tree, he calls him by name: Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house (Lk 19:5). This man, small in stature, rejected by everyone else and far distant from Jesus is all but lost in anonymity, but Jesus calls to him, and the name Zacchaeus, in the language of the time, also has a beautiful meaning, full of allusions: Zacchaeus means God remembers.
And Jesus goes to the house of Zaccaeus, drawing criticism from all the people of Jericho (because even at that time in history, people chatted among themselves and gossiped a lot). They said: But how is it that with all the good people there are in this city, he chooses to stay at the house of this tax collector? Yes, because he was lost, and Jesus says: Today, salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham (Lk 19:9). From that day onward, joy entered the house of Zacchaeus, peace entered that house, salvation entered, Jesus entered.
There is no profession or social condition, no sin or crime of any kind that can erase from the memory and the heart of God even one of his children. God remembers, God always remembers. God never forgets anyone who he has created. He is our Father, he is always watching and lovingly waiting for the rebirth of desire in the heart of his children for their return home. And when this desire is recognized, even if it is just mentioned, and many times it even happens unconsciously, we are immediately close to him, and his forgiveness makes the path of conversion and return all the lighter. Let's all look at Zacchaeus today in the tree. His is a ridiculous gesture, but it is an act of salvation. And I say to all of you: if you have a weight on your conscience, if you are ashamed of the many things you have committed, stop for a little while, don't panic. Remember that someone is waiting for you because he has never stopped remembering, and this someone is your Father, it is God who is waiting! Climb up, like Zaccaeus did. Climb the tree of desire, the desire to be forgiven. I assure you that you will never be disappointed. Jesus is merciful; he never tires of forgiving. Remember that; that's what Jesus is like.
Brothers and sisters, let's all allow ourselves to be called by name by Jesus! Deep in our hearts, let's all listen for his voice which says to us: Today, I must stay at your house, that is, in your heart, in your life. And let us welcome him with joy: He can change us, he can transform our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, he can liberate us from selfishness and transform our lives into gifts of love. Jesus can do it; let us look to Jesus!
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I affectionately greet all the Romans and the pilgrims who are present, especially families, parishioners and groups who have come from so many countries throughout the world.
I greet the faithful who have come from Lebanon and from the city of Madrid.
I greet the young people from Petosino, the recently confirmed from Grassina (Florence) and the young people from Cavallermaggiore (Cuneo); the pilgrims from Naples, Salerno, Venice, Nardo and Gallipoli.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Enjoy your lunch. Good bye!
Address of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
The scripture passage taken from the Gospel of Saint Luke for this morning's Mass shows Jesus who, on his way toward Jerusalem, enters the city of Jericho. This is the final segment of a voyage which in a sense sums up the entirety of Jesus' life, dedicated to seeking out and saving the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But it seems as though the more this voyage approaches its goal, the more Jesus seems to be struggle with an ever-present circle of hostility.
Yet in Jericho, one of the most beautiful events is recounted by Saint Luke: the conversion of Zacchaeus. This man is a lost sheep, one of the despised and even excommunicated because he is one of the collectors, in fact he is the chief tax collector for the city, a friend of the hated Roman occupants, a thief and a liar.
Prevented from approaching Jesus, probably because of his bad reputation, and being small in stature, Zacchaeus climbs a tree in order to see the Master who is passing by. This outward gesture, appears to be a bit ridiculous, yet it expresses the interior conviction of a man who is willing to overcome the crowd in order to establish contact with Jesus. Zacchaeus himself does not realize the profound nature of his gesture; he doesn't understand why he does what he does, yet he does it. He doesn't even dare to hope that he might traverse the distance that separates him from the Lord; he resigns himself to only being able to see Jesus as he passes by. But when Jesus arrives in the vicinity of the tree, he calls him by name: Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house (Lk 19:5). This man, small in stature, rejected by everyone else and far distant from Jesus is all but lost in anonymity, but Jesus calls to him, and the name Zacchaeus, in the language of the time, also has a beautiful meaning, full of allusions: Zacchaeus means God remembers.
And Jesus goes to the house of Zaccaeus, drawing criticism from all the people of Jericho (because even at that time in history, people chatted among themselves and gossiped a lot). They said: But how is it that with all the good people there are in this city, he chooses to stay at the house of this tax collector? Yes, because he was lost, and Jesus says: Today, salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham (Lk 19:9). From that day onward, joy entered the house of Zacchaeus, peace entered that house, salvation entered, Jesus entered.
There is no profession or social condition, no sin or crime of any kind that can erase from the memory and the heart of God even one of his children. God remembers, God always remembers. God never forgets anyone who he has created. He is our Father, he is always watching and lovingly waiting for the rebirth of desire in the heart of his children for their return home. And when this desire is recognized, even if it is just mentioned, and many times it even happens unconsciously, we are immediately close to him, and his forgiveness makes the path of conversion and return all the lighter. Let's all look at Zacchaeus today in the tree. His is a ridiculous gesture, but it is an act of salvation. And I say to all of you: if you have a weight on your conscience, if you are ashamed of the many things you have committed, stop for a little while, don't panic. Remember that someone is waiting for you because he has never stopped remembering, and this someone is your Father, it is God who is waiting! Climb up, like Zaccaeus did. Climb the tree of desire, the desire to be forgiven. I assure you that you will never be disappointed. Jesus is merciful; he never tires of forgiving. Remember that; that's what Jesus is like.
Brothers and sisters, let's all allow ourselves to be called by name by Jesus! Deep in our hearts, let's all listen for his voice which says to us: Today, I must stay at your house, that is, in your heart, in your life. And let us welcome him with joy: He can change us, he can transform our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, he can liberate us from selfishness and transform our lives into gifts of love. Jesus can do it; let us look to Jesus!
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I affectionately greet all the Romans and the pilgrims who are present, especially families, parishioners and groups who have come from so many countries throughout the world.
I greet the faithful who have come from Lebanon and from the city of Madrid.
I greet the young people from Petosino, the recently confirmed from Grassina (Florence) and the young people from Cavallermaggiore (Cuneo); the pilgrims from Naples, Salerno, Venice, Nardo and Gallipoli.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Enjoy your lunch. Good bye!
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