This morning's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square. The Holy Father, Pope Francis met there with groups of pilgrims and the faithful who had come from various parts of Italy and from all corners of the world.
This was the final General Audience for 2014. During the year, Pope Francis has held 43 General Audiences, for which the Prefecture of the Papal Household has distributed 1,199,000 admission tickets.
During his speech today, the Pope added a meditation on the Family of Nazareth. Following the syntheses of his teaching, in various languages, Pope Francis addressed particular greetings to the groups of the faithful who were present. Then, he called for a prayer for the victims of the terrorist acts which have taken place in recent days in Australia, Pakistan and Yemen.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
The Synod of Bishops on the Family, which was recently celebrated, represented the first step in a journey which will conclude next October with the celebration of another Assembly on the theme: The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the world. Prayer is the reflection that should accompany this journey which is shared by all of God's people. My wish is that these meditations from the Wednesday audiences may be included in this common journey. I have therefore decided to reflect with you, during this coming year, on the family, this great gift which hte Lord gave to the world from the beginning, when he confided to Adam and Eve the mission of multiplying and filling the earth (cf Gn 1:28). This is the gift that Jesus confirmed and sealed in his gospel.
The closeness of Christmas sheds a great light on this mystery. The incarnation of the Son of God opens a new beginning to the universal history of man and woman. And this new beginning takes place within a family, in Nazareth. Jesus is born into a family. He could have come in some other spectacular fashion, or appeared as a warrior, an emperor ... No, no: he came as a son, a member of a family, as part of a family. This is important: watching this scene in the crib is so beautiful.
God chose to be born into a human family, the other members of which taught him. This family formed him in a remote village on the outskirts of the Roman Empire. Not at Rome, which was the capital of the Empire, not in a large city but in the suburbs, almost invisible, truly almost unbelievable. The Gospel also records it, almost as a way of saying: Nothing good could ever come from Nazareth (Jn 1:46). Maybe, in many parts of the world, we ourselves might also speak in such words, when we hear the name of some place on the periphery of a large city. Well, it was from that very place, from the periphery of the great Empire that the holiest and best story, that of Jesus' life among men, began. That was where this family was found.
Jesus lived in that periphery for thirty years. The evangelist Luke summarizes this period in this way: Jesus was obedient to them (that is to Mary and Joseph). Someone might say: But this God who comes to save wasted thirty years there, in those infamous suburbs? He wasted thirty years! He wanted it that way. Jesus' journey unfolded in the midst of that family. His mother kept all these things in her heart, and Jesus grew in wisdom, in age and in favour with God and with mankind (Lk 2:51-52). There was so talk of miracles or healing, or even of preaching - he did none of that during that time - there were no crowds, no flock; in Nazareth, everything seemed very normal, following the customs of a pious and industrious Jewish family: the father worked, the mother cooked, did everything around the house, ironed shirts ... all the things that a mother would do. The father, a carpenter, worked, taught his son how to work. Thirty years. But, what a waste, Father! God's ways are mysterious. What was important was the family! And this was not a waste! They were great saints: Mary, the most holy woman, the immaculate, and Joseph, the most righteous man ... family.
We would certainly be endeared by the story of how as a teenager, Jesus faced the challenges of the religious community and the requirements of social life: we know that, as a young worker, he worked with Joseph; and then the way he participated in listening to the scriptures, praying the psalms and in many other every-day routines. The gospels do not say anything about Jesus' adolescence, leaving this task to our meditation. Art, literature and music have travelled this path of imagination. Certainly it is not difficult to imagine how mothers could learn from Mary's attentiveness to her Son! And how fathers could learn from the example of Joseph, the just man, who dedicated his life to supporting and defending the child and his spouse - his family - in difficult times! Not to mention how young boys can be encouraged by Jesus' adolescence to understand the necessity and the beauty f cultivating a more profound vocation, and of dreaming big! During those thirty years, Jesus cultivated the vocation which the Father had planned for him. In that time period, Jesus was never discouraged, but grew in courage in order to continue with his mission.
Each Christian family - like Mary and Joseph - can receive Jesus, listen to him, speak with him, care for him, protect him, grow with him; and thereby make the world a better place. Let us make some room in our hearts and in our lives for the Lord. This is what Mary and Joseph did, and this wasn't easy: how much difficulty they had to overcome! Theirs was not a make-believe family, but a real, true family. The family of Nazareth commits us to rediscovering the vocation and the mission of the family, of every family. As it happened during those thirty years, so it can also be for us: helping us to love and not to hate, helping us to develop a habit of mutual helping instead of indifference or hostility. It is therefore no coincidence that Nazareth means those who keep, like Mary who - the gospel says - kept all these things in her heart (cf Lk 2:19, 51). Since then, every time that there is a family who keeps his mystery, even in the peripheries of the world, the mystery of the Son of God, the mystery of Jesus who came to save us, is at work. He comes to save the world. This is the great mystery of the family: to keep a space for Jesus who is coming, to welcome Jesus in our families, in the person of the children, the husbands, the wives, the grandparents ... Jesus is there. Welcome him, because this is how we grow spiritually in the context of our families. May the Lord give us this grace, during these final days before Christmas. Thank you.
The Holy Father's teaching was then summarized in various languages, and he himself offered greetings to each group of pilgrims who were present. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including the various student groups from the United States of America. As the holy season of Christmas draws near, I invoke upon you and your families joy and peace in the Lord Jesus. God bless you all!
Finally, the Pope offered a call for prayer in favour of the victims of terrorism who have suffered in recent days:
Now, let us observe a moment of silence, and then, with the Our Father, I wish to pray with you for the victims of inhuman acts of terrorism which have taken place in these last few days in Australia, Pakistan and Yemen. May the Lord welcome into his peace all those who have died; may He comfort their families and convert the hearts of the perpetrators who do not seem to stop even when it comes to involving children. Let us sing the Our Father, asking for this grace.
This was the final General Audience for 2014. During the year, Pope Francis has held 43 General Audiences, for which the Prefecture of the Papal Household has distributed 1,199,000 admission tickets.
During his speech today, the Pope added a meditation on the Family of Nazareth. Following the syntheses of his teaching, in various languages, Pope Francis addressed particular greetings to the groups of the faithful who were present. Then, he called for a prayer for the victims of the terrorist acts which have taken place in recent days in Australia, Pakistan and Yemen.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
The Synod of Bishops on the Family, which was recently celebrated, represented the first step in a journey which will conclude next October with the celebration of another Assembly on the theme: The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the world. Prayer is the reflection that should accompany this journey which is shared by all of God's people. My wish is that these meditations from the Wednesday audiences may be included in this common journey. I have therefore decided to reflect with you, during this coming year, on the family, this great gift which hte Lord gave to the world from the beginning, when he confided to Adam and Eve the mission of multiplying and filling the earth (cf Gn 1:28). This is the gift that Jesus confirmed and sealed in his gospel.
The closeness of Christmas sheds a great light on this mystery. The incarnation of the Son of God opens a new beginning to the universal history of man and woman. And this new beginning takes place within a family, in Nazareth. Jesus is born into a family. He could have come in some other spectacular fashion, or appeared as a warrior, an emperor ... No, no: he came as a son, a member of a family, as part of a family. This is important: watching this scene in the crib is so beautiful.
God chose to be born into a human family, the other members of which taught him. This family formed him in a remote village on the outskirts of the Roman Empire. Not at Rome, which was the capital of the Empire, not in a large city but in the suburbs, almost invisible, truly almost unbelievable. The Gospel also records it, almost as a way of saying: Nothing good could ever come from Nazareth (Jn 1:46). Maybe, in many parts of the world, we ourselves might also speak in such words, when we hear the name of some place on the periphery of a large city. Well, it was from that very place, from the periphery of the great Empire that the holiest and best story, that of Jesus' life among men, began. That was where this family was found.
Jesus lived in that periphery for thirty years. The evangelist Luke summarizes this period in this way: Jesus was obedient to them (that is to Mary and Joseph). Someone might say: But this God who comes to save wasted thirty years there, in those infamous suburbs? He wasted thirty years! He wanted it that way. Jesus' journey unfolded in the midst of that family. His mother kept all these things in her heart, and Jesus grew in wisdom, in age and in favour with God and with mankind (Lk 2:51-52). There was so talk of miracles or healing, or even of preaching - he did none of that during that time - there were no crowds, no flock; in Nazareth, everything seemed very normal, following the customs of a pious and industrious Jewish family: the father worked, the mother cooked, did everything around the house, ironed shirts ... all the things that a mother would do. The father, a carpenter, worked, taught his son how to work. Thirty years. But, what a waste, Father! God's ways are mysterious. What was important was the family! And this was not a waste! They were great saints: Mary, the most holy woman, the immaculate, and Joseph, the most righteous man ... family.
We would certainly be endeared by the story of how as a teenager, Jesus faced the challenges of the religious community and the requirements of social life: we know that, as a young worker, he worked with Joseph; and then the way he participated in listening to the scriptures, praying the psalms and in many other every-day routines. The gospels do not say anything about Jesus' adolescence, leaving this task to our meditation. Art, literature and music have travelled this path of imagination. Certainly it is not difficult to imagine how mothers could learn from Mary's attentiveness to her Son! And how fathers could learn from the example of Joseph, the just man, who dedicated his life to supporting and defending the child and his spouse - his family - in difficult times! Not to mention how young boys can be encouraged by Jesus' adolescence to understand the necessity and the beauty f cultivating a more profound vocation, and of dreaming big! During those thirty years, Jesus cultivated the vocation which the Father had planned for him. In that time period, Jesus was never discouraged, but grew in courage in order to continue with his mission.
Each Christian family - like Mary and Joseph - can receive Jesus, listen to him, speak with him, care for him, protect him, grow with him; and thereby make the world a better place. Let us make some room in our hearts and in our lives for the Lord. This is what Mary and Joseph did, and this wasn't easy: how much difficulty they had to overcome! Theirs was not a make-believe family, but a real, true family. The family of Nazareth commits us to rediscovering the vocation and the mission of the family, of every family. As it happened during those thirty years, so it can also be for us: helping us to love and not to hate, helping us to develop a habit of mutual helping instead of indifference or hostility. It is therefore no coincidence that Nazareth means those who keep, like Mary who - the gospel says - kept all these things in her heart (cf Lk 2:19, 51). Since then, every time that there is a family who keeps his mystery, even in the peripheries of the world, the mystery of the Son of God, the mystery of Jesus who came to save us, is at work. He comes to save the world. This is the great mystery of the family: to keep a space for Jesus who is coming, to welcome Jesus in our families, in the person of the children, the husbands, the wives, the grandparents ... Jesus is there. Welcome him, because this is how we grow spiritually in the context of our families. May the Lord give us this grace, during these final days before Christmas. Thank you.
The Holy Father's teaching was then summarized in various languages, and he himself offered greetings to each group of pilgrims who were present. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including the various student groups from the United States of America. As the holy season of Christmas draws near, I invoke upon you and your families joy and peace in the Lord Jesus. God bless you all!
Finally, the Pope offered a call for prayer in favour of the victims of terrorism who have suffered in recent days:
Now, let us observe a moment of silence, and then, with the Our Father, I wish to pray with you for the victims of inhuman acts of terrorism which have taken place in these last few days in Australia, Pakistan and Yemen. May the Lord welcome into his peace all those who have died; may He comfort their families and convert the hearts of the perpetrators who do not seem to stop even when it comes to involving children. Let us sing the Our Father, asking for this grace.
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