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 come to Saint Peter's Square for his weekly appointment.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
This Sunday's gospel (Mt 16:13-20) is the famous passage, central to Matthew's account, in which Simon, on behalf of the Twelve, professes his faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God; and Jesus calls him blessed Simon because of his faith, seeing in it a special gift received from the Father; he says to him: You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.
Let us pause a moment and focus on this point, on the fact that Jesus gives Simon this new name: Peter, which in the language of Jesus is pronounced Kefa, a word that means rock. In the bible, this term, rock, is a reference to God. Jesus assigns this name to Simon not because of any particular quality or human merit of his own, but because of his authentic and solid faith which is a gift given him from above.
Jesus experiences a great joy in his heart, for in Simon, he sees the work of the Father, the action of the Holy Spirit. He recognizes that God the Father has given Simon a reliable faith, on which He, Jesus, can build his Church, that is to say his community, all of us. Jesus wants to give life to his Church, a people no longer based on blood relationships or descendance but rather on faith, centred on a relationship with Himself, a relationship of love and of trust. Our relationship with Jesus builds the Church. Thus it was that in order to begin his Church, Jesus needed to find solid reliable faith in his disciples. This is what Jesus had to verify at this point in their journey of faith.
In his mind, the Lord has an image of the construction of this Church, an image of the community of faith as a building. This is the reason why, when he hears the profession of sincere faith in Simon, he calls him rock, and demonstrates his intention to build his Church on the foundation of this faith.
Brothers and sisters, what happened in a unique way in Saint Peter also takes place in every Christian who develops a sincere faith in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God. Today's gospel challenges each of us. How is your faith developing? Everyone must give a response based on the truth that is taking place in his or her heart. How is your faith developing? Are our hearts capable of finding the Lord? Have our hearts been hardened like rocks or are they more like sand, that is to say are they doubtful, suspicious or unbelieving? It would be good during the day today to think about this. If the Lord finds some faith in our hearts, even if it is not perfect, but it is sincere, genuine, then He will also see in us living stones with which he can build his community. Christ is the cornerstone of this community. For his part, Peter is the rock, the visible foundation of the Church, but every baptized person is called to offer his or her own faith to Jesus, even though it might be poor, as long as it is sincere, and with our feeble faith, Jesus continues to build his Church today, in every corner of the world.
Even today, many people think of Jesus as a great prophet, a master of wisdom, a model of justice ... And even today, Jesus asks his disciples, all of us: But you, who do you say I am? How will we reply? Let's think about it. But first, let's pray to God the Father, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary; let's pray for the gift of grace to respond with sincere hearts: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. This is a confession of faith, the true credo. Let us repeat it together three times: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today my thoughts are particularly directed to the beloved land of the Ukraine, where this day is celebrated as a national feast. I think of all her sons and daughters who yearn for peace and serenity, even as they are threatened by situations of tension and conflict which continue unabated, causing such suffering among the civilian population. Let us confide that entire nation to the Lord Jesus and to Our Lady, and let us pray above all for the victims, for their families and for all those who are suffering. I received a letter from one of the bishops who described all the pain. Let us pray together to Our Lady on behalf of the beloved land of the Ukraine on the day of their national feast: Hail Mary ... Mary, Queen of peace, pray for us!
I cordially greet all the Roman pilgrims and all those who have come from other countries, especially the faithful from Santiago de Compostela (Spain), the children from Maipù (Chile), the young people from Chiry-Ourscamp (France) and all those taking part in the international gathering organized by the Diocese of Palestrina
I affectionately greet all the new seminarians from the Pontifical North American College who have come to Rome to study theology.
I greet the young scientists from Bergamo, who have come to Rome from Assisi on foot along with their bishop; as I see it is written there, you have come from Francis to Francis. You Bergamese are very brave! Last night, your bishop and one of the priests who is accompanying you were telling me how yo have lived these days of pilgrimage: congratulations! Dear young people, return to your homes with the desire to witness to all the beauty of the Christian faith. I greet the youth from Verona, Montegrotto Terme and from Valle Liona, as well as the faithful from Giussano and Bassano del Grappa.
I ask you please, don`t forget to pray for me. I wish you all a good Sunday. Enjoy your lunch. Good bye.
Greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
This Sunday's gospel (Mt 16:13-20) is the famous passage, central to Matthew's account, in which Simon, on behalf of the Twelve, professes his faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God; and Jesus calls him blessed Simon because of his faith, seeing in it a special gift received from the Father; he says to him: You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.
Let us pause a moment and focus on this point, on the fact that Jesus gives Simon this new name: Peter, which in the language of Jesus is pronounced Kefa, a word that means rock. In the bible, this term, rock, is a reference to God. Jesus assigns this name to Simon not because of any particular quality or human merit of his own, but because of his authentic and solid faith which is a gift given him from above.
Jesus experiences a great joy in his heart, for in Simon, he sees the work of the Father, the action of the Holy Spirit. He recognizes that God the Father has given Simon a reliable faith, on which He, Jesus, can build his Church, that is to say his community, all of us. Jesus wants to give life to his Church, a people no longer based on blood relationships or descendance but rather on faith, centred on a relationship with Himself, a relationship of love and of trust. Our relationship with Jesus builds the Church. Thus it was that in order to begin his Church, Jesus needed to find solid reliable faith in his disciples. This is what Jesus had to verify at this point in their journey of faith.
In his mind, the Lord has an image of the construction of this Church, an image of the community of faith as a building. This is the reason why, when he hears the profession of sincere faith in Simon, he calls him rock, and demonstrates his intention to build his Church on the foundation of this faith.
Brothers and sisters, what happened in a unique way in Saint Peter also takes place in every Christian who develops a sincere faith in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God. Today's gospel challenges each of us. How is your faith developing? Everyone must give a response based on the truth that is taking place in his or her heart. How is your faith developing? Are our hearts capable of finding the Lord? Have our hearts been hardened like rocks or are they more like sand, that is to say are they doubtful, suspicious or unbelieving? It would be good during the day today to think about this. If the Lord finds some faith in our hearts, even if it is not perfect, but it is sincere, genuine, then He will also see in us living stones with which he can build his community. Christ is the cornerstone of this community. For his part, Peter is the rock, the visible foundation of the Church, but every baptized person is called to offer his or her own faith to Jesus, even though it might be poor, as long as it is sincere, and with our feeble faith, Jesus continues to build his Church today, in every corner of the world.
Even today, many people think of Jesus as a great prophet, a master of wisdom, a model of justice ... And even today, Jesus asks his disciples, all of us: But you, who do you say I am? How will we reply? Let's think about it. But first, let's pray to God the Father, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary; let's pray for the gift of grace to respond with sincere hearts: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. This is a confession of faith, the true credo. Let us repeat it together three times: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today my thoughts are particularly directed to the beloved land of the Ukraine, where this day is celebrated as a national feast. I think of all her sons and daughters who yearn for peace and serenity, even as they are threatened by situations of tension and conflict which continue unabated, causing such suffering among the civilian population. Let us confide that entire nation to the Lord Jesus and to Our Lady, and let us pray above all for the victims, for their families and for all those who are suffering. I received a letter from one of the bishops who described all the pain. Let us pray together to Our Lady on behalf of the beloved land of the Ukraine on the day of their national feast: Hail Mary ... Mary, Queen of peace, pray for us!
I cordially greet all the Roman pilgrims and all those who have come from other countries, especially the faithful from Santiago de Compostela (Spain), the children from Maipù (Chile), the young people from Chiry-Ourscamp (France) and all those taking part in the international gathering organized by the Diocese of Palestrina
I affectionately greet all the new seminarians from the Pontifical North American College who have come to Rome to study theology.
I greet the young scientists from Bergamo, who have come to Rome from Assisi on foot along with their bishop; as I see it is written there, you have come from Francis to Francis. You Bergamese are very brave! Last night, your bishop and one of the priests who is accompanying you were telling me how yo have lived these days of pilgrimage: congratulations! Dear young people, return to your homes with the desire to witness to all the beauty of the Christian faith. I greet the youth from Verona, Montegrotto Terme and from Valle Liona, as well as the faithful from Giussano and Bassano del Grappa.
I ask you please, don`t forget to pray for me. I wish you all a good Sunday. Enjoy your lunch. Good bye.
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