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.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today's Gospel presents the episode of the expulsion of the vendors from the temple (John 2:13-25). Jesus made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple, along with the sheep and oxen (Jn 2:15), the money, everything. This gesture aroused strong reactions, in the people and in the disciples. Clearly, it appeared as a prophetic gesture, to such an extent that some of those present asked Jesus, What sign can you show us for doing these things? Who are you to do these things. Show us that you have the authority to do them. They were looking from a sign from God, that shows Jesus as being sent by God. And He answered, Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it up (John 2:19).
They answered him, This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days? They had not realized that the Lord was referring to the living temple of His body, that would be destroyed with death on the Cross, but would rise again on the third day. When He was raised from the dead, notes the Evangelist, his disciples remembered that He had said this, and they believed the Scripture, and the Word which Jesus had said.
In fact, this gesture of Jesus and his prophetic message is fully understood in the light of his Passover. We have here, according to John, the first announcement of the death and Resurrection of Christ: His body, destroyed by the violence of sin on the Cross, will become in the Resurrection, the meeting place between God and men. And the Risen Christ is really the universal meeting place for everyone! Between God and men! For this reason, His humanity is the true temple, where God is revealed, speaks, meets; and the true worshipers of God are not the guardians of the material temple, the holders of power and religious knowledge, but those who worship God in spirit and truth. (Jn 4:23)
In this Lenten season, we are preparing for the celebration of Easter, when we will renew the promises of our Baptism. We walk into the world as Jesus did and we make our whole existence a sign of His love for our brothers, especially the weak and the poor. We build a temple to God with our lives. And so, we make him encounter-able to the many people we find along our path. But, we ask ourselves and each of us may wonder: Does the Lord feel truly at home in my life? Do we allow Him to do a cleansing in our hearts and to drive out the idols that are found there, the attitudes of greed, jealousy, worldliness, envy, hatred, the habit of gossiping and tearing others down?
Do we allow Him to do a cleaning of all behaviors against God, against others and against ourselves, as we heard today in the first reading? Each one can respond himself, in silence, in his heart. Do I allow Jesus to make my heart a little cleaner? ... Jesus does not cleanse our hearts with a whip; he cleans with tenderness, with mercy, with love. Mercy is his way of cleaning. Let each of us, allow the Lord to enter our hearts with His mercy. Not with a whip, no, with his mercy, to cleanse our hearts. The whip that Jesus uses on us is his mercy. Let us open the door and make some room for this little cleaning.
Each Eucharist we celebrate with faith makes us grow as a living temple of the Lord, through Communion with his Body, crucified and risen. Jesus knows what is in each of us, and knows even our most ardent desire: to be inhabited by him, only by Him. May Holy Mary, privileged dwelling place of the Son of God, accompany and sustain us this Lent, so that we can rediscover the beauty of the encounter with Christ, which frees us and saves us.
After the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I extend a cordial welcome to the faithful of Rome and all the pilgrims from various parts of the world. I greet the faithful from Curitiba, Brazil; parish groups from Treviso, Genoa, Crotone, L'Aquila and the area of Domodossola. A special thought goes to the young boys from Garda, who recently received Confirmation.
During Lent, we try to stay closer to the people who are going through difficult times, closer to our neighbours, with affection, prayer and solidarity.
Today, March 8th, I salute all the women who daily work to build a more human and welcoming society. And a fraternal thank you to those that in thousands of ways bear witness to the Gospel and work in the Church. This is, for us, an opportunity to reaffirm the importance and the necessity of their presence in our lives. A world where women are marginalized is a barren world, because women not only bring life, but send us the ability to see beyond, see beyond them. They send us the ability to understand the world through different eyes, to hear things with more creative, more patient, more tender hearts. I offer a prayer and a special blessing for all women present here in the square and for all women!
I wish you all a good Sunday. Do not forget, please, to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and goodbye!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today's Gospel presents the episode of the expulsion of the vendors from the temple (John 2:13-25). Jesus made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple, along with the sheep and oxen (Jn 2:15), the money, everything. This gesture aroused strong reactions, in the people and in the disciples. Clearly, it appeared as a prophetic gesture, to such an extent that some of those present asked Jesus, What sign can you show us for doing these things? Who are you to do these things. Show us that you have the authority to do them. They were looking from a sign from God, that shows Jesus as being sent by God. And He answered, Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it up (John 2:19).
They answered him, This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days? They had not realized that the Lord was referring to the living temple of His body, that would be destroyed with death on the Cross, but would rise again on the third day. When He was raised from the dead, notes the Evangelist, his disciples remembered that He had said this, and they believed the Scripture, and the Word which Jesus had said.
In fact, this gesture of Jesus and his prophetic message is fully understood in the light of his Passover. We have here, according to John, the first announcement of the death and Resurrection of Christ: His body, destroyed by the violence of sin on the Cross, will become in the Resurrection, the meeting place between God and men. And the Risen Christ is really the universal meeting place for everyone! Between God and men! For this reason, His humanity is the true temple, where God is revealed, speaks, meets; and the true worshipers of God are not the guardians of the material temple, the holders of power and religious knowledge, but those who worship God in spirit and truth. (Jn 4:23)
In this Lenten season, we are preparing for the celebration of Easter, when we will renew the promises of our Baptism. We walk into the world as Jesus did and we make our whole existence a sign of His love for our brothers, especially the weak and the poor. We build a temple to God with our lives. And so, we make him encounter-able to the many people we find along our path. But, we ask ourselves and each of us may wonder: Does the Lord feel truly at home in my life? Do we allow Him to do a cleansing in our hearts and to drive out the idols that are found there, the attitudes of greed, jealousy, worldliness, envy, hatred, the habit of gossiping and tearing others down?
Do we allow Him to do a cleaning of all behaviors against God, against others and against ourselves, as we heard today in the first reading? Each one can respond himself, in silence, in his heart. Do I allow Jesus to make my heart a little cleaner? ... Jesus does not cleanse our hearts with a whip; he cleans with tenderness, with mercy, with love. Mercy is his way of cleaning. Let each of us, allow the Lord to enter our hearts with His mercy. Not with a whip, no, with his mercy, to cleanse our hearts. The whip that Jesus uses on us is his mercy. Let us open the door and make some room for this little cleaning.
Each Eucharist we celebrate with faith makes us grow as a living temple of the Lord, through Communion with his Body, crucified and risen. Jesus knows what is in each of us, and knows even our most ardent desire: to be inhabited by him, only by Him. May Holy Mary, privileged dwelling place of the Son of God, accompany and sustain us this Lent, so that we can rediscover the beauty of the encounter with Christ, which frees us and saves us.
After the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I extend a cordial welcome to the faithful of Rome and all the pilgrims from various parts of the world. I greet the faithful from Curitiba, Brazil; parish groups from Treviso, Genoa, Crotone, L'Aquila and the area of Domodossola. A special thought goes to the young boys from Garda, who recently received Confirmation.
During Lent, we try to stay closer to the people who are going through difficult times, closer to our neighbours, with affection, prayer and solidarity.
Today, March 8th, I salute all the women who daily work to build a more human and welcoming society. And a fraternal thank you to those that in thousands of ways bear witness to the Gospel and work in the Church. This is, for us, an opportunity to reaffirm the importance and the necessity of their presence in our lives. A world where women are marginalized is a barren world, because women not only bring life, but send us the ability to see beyond, see beyond them. They send us the ability to understand the world through different eyes, to hear things with more creative, more patient, more tender hearts. I offer a prayer and a special blessing for all women present here in the square and for all women!
I wish you all a good Sunday. Do not forget, please, to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and goodbye!
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