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 gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the usual Sunday appointment.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
This Sunday, we continue to read from the sixth chapter of the gospel of John, in which Jesus, after having performed the great miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, explains to the people the significance of that sign (Jn 6:41-51).
As he had done before with the Samaritan woman, when he began with the experience of thirst and the sign of water, here, Jesus begins with the experience of hunger and the sign of the bread, in order to reveal Himself and to invite others to believe in Him.
The people search for him, the people listen to him because they are enthused by the miracle - they wanted to make him king! - but when Jesus confirmed that the true bread, given by God, was and is He himself, many were scandalized; they did not understand and they began to murmur among themselves: About him - they said - do we not know his father and his mother? How then can he say: 'I have come down from heaven'? (Jn 6:42). And they began to whisper, so Jesus responded: No one can come to me unless they are drawn by the Father who has sent me (Jn 6:44).
This word of the Lord amazes us and makes us think. It introduces us to the dynamics of faith which is a relationship: a relationship between human persons - all of us - and the Person of JEsus, where the Father plays a decisive role, and naturally so also the Holy Spirit - who is implied here. It is not enough just to meet Jesus in order to believe in Him, it is not enough to just read the Bible, the Gospel - this is important!, but it's not enough - neither is it enough to witness a miracle, such as that of the multiplication of the loaves. Many people have been in close contact with Jesus and yet they still have not believed, indeed, some of them despised him and even condemned him. I ask myself: why did this happen? Were they not drawn by the Father? No, this happened because their hearts were closed to the action of the Spirit of God. If you have a closed heart, faith cannot enter. God the Father always draws us toward Jesus: it's up to us to open our hearts or to keep them closed. Faith, which is like a seed in the depths of our hearts, blossoms when we allow the Father to draw us to Jesus, when we go to him with an open heart, with no prejudices; then we recognize the face of God in his face and we hear the word of God in his words because the Holy Spirit has drawn us into the relationship of love and of life that exists between Jesus and God the Father. There, we receive the gift, the joy of faith.
So, with this attitude of faith, we can also understand the meaning of the bread of life that Jesus gives us, and that He explains thus: I am the living bread, come down from heaven. If someone eats of me, he will have eternal life and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world (Jn 6:51). In Jesus, in his flesh - that is to say in his concrete humanity - the entirety of the love of God is present, in the person of the Holy Spirit. Those who allow themselves to be drawn by this love draw closer to Jesus and this is an act of faith, for they receive life from him, eternal life.
One person who has lived this experience in an exemplary way is the Virgin of Nazareth, Mary: the first human person to have believed in God by welcoming the gift of bearing the flesh of Jesus: we learn from her, our Mother, both joy and gratitude for the gift of our faith. A gift that is not private, a gift that is not private property but a gift to be shared: is a gift for the life of the world!
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Seventy years ago, from the 6th to the 9th of August, 1945, the terrible atomic bombings took place over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. From the distance of time, this tragic event still arouses horror and revulsion. It has become the symbol of the enormous destructive power of man when he uses incorrect advances in science and technology, and constitutes a definitive warning to humanity to distance herself permanently from war, including the banning of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction. This sad occurrence calls us above all to prayer and to commit ourselves to peace, in order to defend an ethic of fraternity and a climate of serene coexistence among all people in our world. From every land, one voice should be raised: no to war, no to violence, yes to dialogue, yes to peace! War always leads to loss. The only way to win a war is not to begin it.
I am following with close preoccupation the news that is coming from El Salvador, where in recent times, further hardships have been aggravated against the people because of famine, economic crisis and acute social contrasts and growing violence. I encourage the dear Salvadoran people to persevere, united in hope, and I call upon all people to pray that in the land of Blessed Oscar Romero, justice and peace may flourish.
I extend my greetings to all of you, Romans and pilgrims alike; in particular the youth from Mason Vicentino, Villaraspa, Nova Milanese, Fossò, Sandon, Ferrara and the altar servers from Calcarelli.
I greet the motorcyclists from San Zeno (Brescia), committed to helping the children who are recovering at the Bambino Gesù Hospital.
And to all of you, I wish a good Sunday. Please, don't 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!
This Sunday, we continue to read from the sixth chapter of the gospel of John, in which Jesus, after having performed the great miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, explains to the people the significance of that sign (Jn 6:41-51).
As he had done before with the Samaritan woman, when he began with the experience of thirst and the sign of water, here, Jesus begins with the experience of hunger and the sign of the bread, in order to reveal Himself and to invite others to believe in Him.
The people search for him, the people listen to him because they are enthused by the miracle - they wanted to make him king! - but when Jesus confirmed that the true bread, given by God, was and is He himself, many were scandalized; they did not understand and they began to murmur among themselves: About him - they said - do we not know his father and his mother? How then can he say: 'I have come down from heaven'? (Jn 6:42). And they began to whisper, so Jesus responded: No one can come to me unless they are drawn by the Father who has sent me (Jn 6:44).
This word of the Lord amazes us and makes us think. It introduces us to the dynamics of faith which is a relationship: a relationship between human persons - all of us - and the Person of JEsus, where the Father plays a decisive role, and naturally so also the Holy Spirit - who is implied here. It is not enough just to meet Jesus in order to believe in Him, it is not enough to just read the Bible, the Gospel - this is important!, but it's not enough - neither is it enough to witness a miracle, such as that of the multiplication of the loaves. Many people have been in close contact with Jesus and yet they still have not believed, indeed, some of them despised him and even condemned him. I ask myself: why did this happen? Were they not drawn by the Father? No, this happened because their hearts were closed to the action of the Spirit of God. If you have a closed heart, faith cannot enter. God the Father always draws us toward Jesus: it's up to us to open our hearts or to keep them closed. Faith, which is like a seed in the depths of our hearts, blossoms when we allow the Father to draw us to Jesus, when we go to him with an open heart, with no prejudices; then we recognize the face of God in his face and we hear the word of God in his words because the Holy Spirit has drawn us into the relationship of love and of life that exists between Jesus and God the Father. There, we receive the gift, the joy of faith.
So, with this attitude of faith, we can also understand the meaning of the bread of life that Jesus gives us, and that He explains thus: I am the living bread, come down from heaven. If someone eats of me, he will have eternal life and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world (Jn 6:51). In Jesus, in his flesh - that is to say in his concrete humanity - the entirety of the love of God is present, in the person of the Holy Spirit. Those who allow themselves to be drawn by this love draw closer to Jesus and this is an act of faith, for they receive life from him, eternal life.
One person who has lived this experience in an exemplary way is the Virgin of Nazareth, Mary: the first human person to have believed in God by welcoming the gift of bearing the flesh of Jesus: we learn from her, our Mother, both joy and gratitude for the gift of our faith. A gift that is not private, a gift that is not private property but a gift to be shared: is a gift for the life of the world!
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Seventy years ago, from the 6th to the 9th of August, 1945, the terrible atomic bombings took place over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. From the distance of time, this tragic event still arouses horror and revulsion. It has become the symbol of the enormous destructive power of man when he uses incorrect advances in science and technology, and constitutes a definitive warning to humanity to distance herself permanently from war, including the banning of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction. This sad occurrence calls us above all to prayer and to commit ourselves to peace, in order to defend an ethic of fraternity and a climate of serene coexistence among all people in our world. From every land, one voice should be raised: no to war, no to violence, yes to dialogue, yes to peace! War always leads to loss. The only way to win a war is not to begin it.
I am following with close preoccupation the news that is coming from El Salvador, where in recent times, further hardships have been aggravated against the people because of famine, economic crisis and acute social contrasts and growing violence. I encourage the dear Salvadoran people to persevere, united in hope, and I call upon all people to pray that in the land of Blessed Oscar Romero, justice and peace may flourish.
I extend my greetings to all of you, Romans and pilgrims alike; in particular the youth from Mason Vicentino, Villaraspa, Nova Milanese, Fossò, Sandon, Ferrara and the altar servers from Calcarelli.
I greet the motorcyclists from San Zeno (Brescia), committed to helping the children who are recovering at the Bambino Gesù Hospital.
And to all of you, I wish a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me! Enjoy your lunch, and good bye!
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