At noon today, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful and with pilgrims who were gathered in Saint Peter's Square.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
On this fourth Sunday of Advent, the gospel recounts the facts that preceded the birth of Jesus, and the evangelist Matthew presents them from the point of view of Joseph, the promised spouse of the Virgin Mary.
Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, they were not yet living together because their marriage had not yet been celebrated. In the meanwhile, Mary, after having heard the greeting of the Angel was found to be pregnant by the work of the Holy Spirit. When Joseph learned about this fact, he was baffled. The gospel does not explain the details of his thoughts, but it does tell us the essentials: he wanted to do the will of God and was ready for the most radical renunciation. However, instead of defending himself and asserting his rights, Joseph chose a solution that represented a huge sacrifice on his part. The gospel says: Because he was a righteous man, and did not want to accuse her publicly, he decided to divorce her quietly (Mt 1:19).
This brief sentence sums up a true inner drama if we think of the love that Joseph had for Mary. But even in a circumstance such as that, Joseph wanted to do the will of God, and decided, no doubt with great pain, to dismiss Mary in secret. We must meditate on these words, in order to understand what evidence Joseph had to bear during the days that preceded the birth of Jesus. This was a test somewhat similar to the one that Abraham had to endure when God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac (cf Gn 22): surrendering his most precious possession, his most beloved person.
As he did in the case of Abraham, the Lord intervened: he found the faith that sought out and opened a different way, a path of love and of happiness. Joseph, he said, do not be afraid to take Mary as your spouse. In fact, the child conceived within her is from the Holy Spirit (Mt 1:20).
This gospel shows us the greatness of Joseph's soul. He was trying to follow a good life plan, but God had a different plan for him, a greater mission. Joseph was a man who always tried to listen for the voice of God; he was always deeply attentive to His secret desires, always attentive to the messages that came from the depths of the heart and from above. It was not that he was stubborn about pursuing his own life plan; he did not allow resentment to poison his soul. Instead, he was willing to put himself at the service of the news that had been presented to him, even though it upset his plans. And, well, he was a good man, he did not hate God for doing this, and he did not allow resentment to poison his soul. How often do we hate, or dislike someone, or allow resentment to poison our souls! And it hurts! We should never let this happen: Joseph is an example of this. In this way, Joseph became even more free, even greater. By accepting each day according to the will of God, Joseph found himself to be fully beyond self interests. His freedom to renounce himself, to not hold onto even his own existence, he made himself fully available to the inner will of God. He challenges us to do the same, and he also shows us the way.
Let us celebrate Christmas contemplating Mary and Joseph - Mary, the woman full of grace who had the courage to rely totally on the Word of God, and Joseph, the faithful and just man who preferred to believe in the Lord instead of listening to the voices of doubt and human pride. With them, we continue together toward Bethlehem.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
I read there among you some wonderful words: The poor cannot wait. That's wonderful! It makes me think that Jesus was born in a stable, not in a house. Afterward, he had to flee, to go to Egypt in order to save his life. Eventually, he returned home to Nazareth. And today I think, even as I read the words that are written, of so many homeless families, so many who have never had a home because they lost them ... for so many reasons. Family and home belong together. It is so very difficult for a family to get ahead in life if they have nowhere to call home. In these days of Christmas, I invite everyone - persons, social entities and authorities - to make every effort so that every family can have somewhere they can call their home.
I greet you all with great affection, dear pilgrims who have come from various countries to participate in this prayerful encounter. My thoughts go out to families, to parish groups, to associations and to individual believers. In particular, I greet the community of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, the San Giovanni Valdamo musical band, the young people from the parish of San Francesco Nuovo in Rieti and those who are participating in the relay that began in Alexandria and has come to Rome to bear witness to their commitment to peace in Somalia.
To all the Italians who have gathered today to demonstrate their social commitment, I wish to provide a constructive contribution, encouraging you to always reject the temptation toward confrontation and violence, and to follow instead the path of dialogue and defence of human rights.
I wish you all a good Sunday and a Christmas filled with hope, justice and fraternity. Enjoy your lunch. Goodbye!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
On this fourth Sunday of Advent, the gospel recounts the facts that preceded the birth of Jesus, and the evangelist Matthew presents them from the point of view of Joseph, the promised spouse of the Virgin Mary.
Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, they were not yet living together because their marriage had not yet been celebrated. In the meanwhile, Mary, after having heard the greeting of the Angel was found to be pregnant by the work of the Holy Spirit. When Joseph learned about this fact, he was baffled. The gospel does not explain the details of his thoughts, but it does tell us the essentials: he wanted to do the will of God and was ready for the most radical renunciation. However, instead of defending himself and asserting his rights, Joseph chose a solution that represented a huge sacrifice on his part. The gospel says: Because he was a righteous man, and did not want to accuse her publicly, he decided to divorce her quietly (Mt 1:19).
This brief sentence sums up a true inner drama if we think of the love that Joseph had for Mary. But even in a circumstance such as that, Joseph wanted to do the will of God, and decided, no doubt with great pain, to dismiss Mary in secret. We must meditate on these words, in order to understand what evidence Joseph had to bear during the days that preceded the birth of Jesus. This was a test somewhat similar to the one that Abraham had to endure when God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac (cf Gn 22): surrendering his most precious possession, his most beloved person.
As he did in the case of Abraham, the Lord intervened: he found the faith that sought out and opened a different way, a path of love and of happiness. Joseph, he said, do not be afraid to take Mary as your spouse. In fact, the child conceived within her is from the Holy Spirit (Mt 1:20).
This gospel shows us the greatness of Joseph's soul. He was trying to follow a good life plan, but God had a different plan for him, a greater mission. Joseph was a man who always tried to listen for the voice of God; he was always deeply attentive to His secret desires, always attentive to the messages that came from the depths of the heart and from above. It was not that he was stubborn about pursuing his own life plan; he did not allow resentment to poison his soul. Instead, he was willing to put himself at the service of the news that had been presented to him, even though it upset his plans. And, well, he was a good man, he did not hate God for doing this, and he did not allow resentment to poison his soul. How often do we hate, or dislike someone, or allow resentment to poison our souls! And it hurts! We should never let this happen: Joseph is an example of this. In this way, Joseph became even more free, even greater. By accepting each day according to the will of God, Joseph found himself to be fully beyond self interests. His freedom to renounce himself, to not hold onto even his own existence, he made himself fully available to the inner will of God. He challenges us to do the same, and he also shows us the way.
Let us celebrate Christmas contemplating Mary and Joseph - Mary, the woman full of grace who had the courage to rely totally on the Word of God, and Joseph, the faithful and just man who preferred to believe in the Lord instead of listening to the voices of doubt and human pride. With them, we continue together toward Bethlehem.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
I read there among you some wonderful words: The poor cannot wait. That's wonderful! It makes me think that Jesus was born in a stable, not in a house. Afterward, he had to flee, to go to Egypt in order to save his life. Eventually, he returned home to Nazareth. And today I think, even as I read the words that are written, of so many homeless families, so many who have never had a home because they lost them ... for so many reasons. Family and home belong together. It is so very difficult for a family to get ahead in life if they have nowhere to call home. In these days of Christmas, I invite everyone - persons, social entities and authorities - to make every effort so that every family can have somewhere they can call their home.
I greet you all with great affection, dear pilgrims who have come from various countries to participate in this prayerful encounter. My thoughts go out to families, to parish groups, to associations and to individual believers. In particular, I greet the community of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, the San Giovanni Valdamo musical band, the young people from the parish of San Francesco Nuovo in Rieti and those who are participating in the relay that began in Alexandria and has come to Rome to bear witness to their commitment to peace in Somalia.
To all the Italians who have gathered today to demonstrate their social commitment, I wish to provide a constructive contribution, encouraging you to always reject the temptation toward confrontation and violence, and to follow instead the path of dialogue and defence of human rights.
I wish you all a good Sunday and a Christmas filled with hope, justice and fraternity. Enjoy your lunch. Goodbye!
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