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 gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the usual Sunday appointment.
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.
Today's gospel sets before us once again the words spoken by Jesus to Nicodemus: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son (John 3:16). Listening to this word, we turn the gaze of our hearts toward the crucified Jesus and we feel deep within us that Jesus loves us, truly loves us, he loves us so much! This is the simplest expression which sums up the entire gospel, all our faith, all of theology: God loves us with free and boundless love.
God loves us, and this love He shows first in creation, as the liturgy proclaims in the Fourth Eucharistic Prayer: You have created the universe in order to pour out your love on all your creatures and to fill them with the splendour of your light. At the creation of the world, there was only the free, gratuitous love of the Father. Saint Irenaeus, a saint from the first century A.D. wrote: God did not create Adam because he needed him, but in order to have someone to whom he could give his gifts (Adversus haereses, IV, 14, 1). That's what it's like, God's love is like that.
Eucharistic Prayer IV continues: And when, because of his disobedience, man lost your friendship, you did not abandon him to the power of death, but in your mercy to all, you came to meet him. God came to us with the gift of his mercy. As he did at the time of creation, he also did during the successive stages of the history of salvation; the gratuitous love of God is evident: the Lord chooses his people not because they deserve it, but because they are the smallest of all the people, as he himself says. And in the fullness of time, even though men have repeatedly broken the covenant, God, rather than abandoning them, has forged a new bond with them in the blood of Jesus - the triumph of the new and eternal covenant - a triumph that will never be overcome.
Saint Paul reminds us: God, who is rich in mercy - never forget that he is rich in mercy - out of the great love with which he has loved us, when we were dead because of our sins, brought us back to life in Christ (Ephesians, 2:4). The Cross of Christ is the supreme proof of the mercy and the love of God for us: Jesus loved us to the end. That is to say, not only until the last moment of our earthly existence, but to the very limits of love. If in the creation, the Father has given the proof of his immense love by giving us life, in the passion and death of his Son, gave us proof beyond all proof: he came to suffer and to die for us. This is how immense the mercy of God is: He loves us and forgives us; God forgives everything and God always forgives.
Mary, who is the Mother of mercy, places in our hearts the certainty that we are loved by God. She is close to us in our times of difficulty and she helps us to understand and appreciate her son's sentiments, for the Lenten itinerary is an experience of forgiveness, welcome and charity.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
With sadness, with great sadness, I learned about the terrorist attacks today against two church in the city of Lahore in Pakistan, which have caused many to be wounded and to have died. These are Christian churches. Christians are being persecuted. Our brothers are spilling their blood merely because they are Christians. As I assure you of my prayers for the victims and for their families, I implore from the Lord, the font of every good gift, the blessing of peace and concord for that country. May this persecution against Christians, which the world is trying to hide, soon be finished and may there be peace.
I cordially greet all the faithful of Rome and all those who have come from various parts of the world.
I greet the pilgrims from Grenada and Malaga (Spain), as well as from Mannheim (Germany).
I greet the parish groups who have come from Perugia, Pordenone, Pavia, from San Giuseppe all'Aurelio in Rome and from the Diocese of Piacenza-Bobbio.
A special thought goes out to the youth from Serravalle Scrivia, from Rosolina and from Verdellino-Zingonia who are preparing to receive Confirmation; to those from the diocese of Lodi and the deanery of Romana-Vittoria in Milan who are here in Rome to make their promises to follow Jesus. I also greet the altar servers from Besana in Brianza. There you are, I can see you there with your sign; greetings to you!
I greet the various groups of volunteers who, united in their efforts toward promoting solidarity, are participating in the Together for the common good celebration.
I am close to the people of Vanuatu, in the Pacific Ocean, who have suffered the effects of a strong cyclone. I am praying for all those who have died, those who have been wounded and those who are now homeless. I am grateful to all those who have responded immediately to bring help to those in need.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.
Today's gospel sets before us once again the words spoken by Jesus to Nicodemus: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son (John 3:16). Listening to this word, we turn the gaze of our hearts toward the crucified Jesus and we feel deep within us that Jesus loves us, truly loves us, he loves us so much! This is the simplest expression which sums up the entire gospel, all our faith, all of theology: God loves us with free and boundless love.
God loves us, and this love He shows first in creation, as the liturgy proclaims in the Fourth Eucharistic Prayer: You have created the universe in order to pour out your love on all your creatures and to fill them with the splendour of your light. At the creation of the world, there was only the free, gratuitous love of the Father. Saint Irenaeus, a saint from the first century A.D. wrote: God did not create Adam because he needed him, but in order to have someone to whom he could give his gifts (Adversus haereses, IV, 14, 1). That's what it's like, God's love is like that.
Eucharistic Prayer IV continues: And when, because of his disobedience, man lost your friendship, you did not abandon him to the power of death, but in your mercy to all, you came to meet him. God came to us with the gift of his mercy. As he did at the time of creation, he also did during the successive stages of the history of salvation; the gratuitous love of God is evident: the Lord chooses his people not because they deserve it, but because they are the smallest of all the people, as he himself says. And in the fullness of time, even though men have repeatedly broken the covenant, God, rather than abandoning them, has forged a new bond with them in the blood of Jesus - the triumph of the new and eternal covenant - a triumph that will never be overcome.
Saint Paul reminds us: God, who is rich in mercy - never forget that he is rich in mercy - out of the great love with which he has loved us, when we were dead because of our sins, brought us back to life in Christ (Ephesians, 2:4). The Cross of Christ is the supreme proof of the mercy and the love of God for us: Jesus loved us to the end. That is to say, not only until the last moment of our earthly existence, but to the very limits of love. If in the creation, the Father has given the proof of his immense love by giving us life, in the passion and death of his Son, gave us proof beyond all proof: he came to suffer and to die for us. This is how immense the mercy of God is: He loves us and forgives us; God forgives everything and God always forgives.
Mary, who is the Mother of mercy, places in our hearts the certainty that we are loved by God. She is close to us in our times of difficulty and she helps us to understand and appreciate her son's sentiments, for the Lenten itinerary is an experience of forgiveness, welcome and charity.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
With sadness, with great sadness, I learned about the terrorist attacks today against two church in the city of Lahore in Pakistan, which have caused many to be wounded and to have died. These are Christian churches. Christians are being persecuted. Our brothers are spilling their blood merely because they are Christians. As I assure you of my prayers for the victims and for their families, I implore from the Lord, the font of every good gift, the blessing of peace and concord for that country. May this persecution against Christians, which the world is trying to hide, soon be finished and may there be peace.
I cordially greet all the faithful of Rome and all those who have come from various parts of the world.
I greet the pilgrims from Grenada and Malaga (Spain), as well as from Mannheim (Germany).
I greet the parish groups who have come from Perugia, Pordenone, Pavia, from San Giuseppe all'Aurelio in Rome and from the Diocese of Piacenza-Bobbio.
A special thought goes out to the youth from Serravalle Scrivia, from Rosolina and from Verdellino-Zingonia who are preparing to receive Confirmation; to those from the diocese of Lodi and the deanery of Romana-Vittoria in Milan who are here in Rome to make their promises to follow Jesus. I also greet the altar servers from Besana in Brianza. There you are, I can see you there with your sign; greetings to you!
I greet the various groups of volunteers who, united in their efforts toward promoting solidarity, are participating in the Together for the common good celebration.
I am close to the people of Vanuatu, in the Pacific Ocean, who have suffered the effects of a strong cyclone. I am praying for all those who have died, those who have been wounded and those who are now homeless. I am grateful to all those who have responded immediately to bring help to those in need.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
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