At noon today in Rome, 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!
In today's gospel, the evangelist Luke briefly summarizes Jesus' work of evangelization before presenting his keynote speech delivered in Nazareth. This is activity that Jesus accomplishes with the power of the Holy Spirit: his word is new, for it reveals the meaning of the Scriptures; it is also an authoritative word because it even commands the impure spirits and they obey him (cf Mk 1:27). Jesus is different from the the other teachers of his time: for example, he does not open a school for the study of the Law, but be goes around preaching and teaching everywhere - in the synagogues, in the streets, in houses ... he was always on the go! Jesus is also different from John the Baptist who proclaimed the approaching judgement of God; instead, Jesus announced the Father's forgiveness.
Now, let us imagine entering into the synagogue in Nazareth, the village where Jesus lived until the age of 30 years. What happened that day was an important event, that defined Jesus' mission. He got up to read from the Holy Scriptures. He unrolled the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah and read the passage where where it is written: the Spirit of the Lord is upon me; for he has consecrated me with an anointing and has sent me to bring good news to the poor (Lk 4:18). Then, after a moment of silence, filled with anticipation on the part of all the people, to their great amazement he said: This Scripture passage that you have heard is being accomplished (Lk 4:21).
To evangelize the poor: this is Jesus' mission, according to what he said; this is also the mission of the Church, and of every one of those who are baptized in the Church. To be Christian, we must also be missionaries. To proclaim the gospel, with words and, more importantly with our lives, is the principal aim of the Christian community and of every one of her members. We should note here that Jesus directed the Good News to everyone, without no exceptions, to the privileged and to those who were distanced, the suffering, the sick, those who are ignored by society.
We ask ourselves: what does it mean to evangelize the poor? It means above all to draw close to them, to experience the joy of serving them, of freeing them from their oppression, and all this in the name of and with the Spirit of Christ, for he is God's Gospel, He is God's Mercy, He is God's freedom, He is the one who made himself poor and drew close to us in his poverty. Isaiah's text, reinforced by a few adaptations that Jesus added, shows us that the messianic proclamation of the Kingdom of God which came among us is offered in a particular way to those who are marginalized, to prisoners and to those who are oppressed.
Most probably, in the time of Jesus, these people were not the focus of the community of faith. We can ask ourselves: today, in our parish communities, in our associations, in our movements, are we faithful to Christ's pastoral plan? Is it a priority for us to evangelize of the poor, to proclaim the joyful news to them? Be careful: it's not only a matter of providing social assistance or of some political activity. It's a matter of offering the strength of God's gospel that converts hearts, heals wounds, transforms human relationships according to the logic of love. The poor are in fact at the centre of the gospel.
May the Virgin Mary, Mother of evangelists help us to be keenly aware of the hunger and thirst for the gospel that exists in the world, especially in the hearts and in the minds of the poor. May she obtain for each one of us and for every Christian community, the concrete witness of mercy, the great mercy that Christ has given us.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet you all with great affection, who have come from various parishes throughout Italy and from other countries, as well as members of various associations and families.
I especially greet the students from Zafra and the faithful from Cervellò (they're Spanish); those who are participating in the convention organized by the World community for Christian meditation, and the groups of faithful who have come from the Archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto, from Tarcento, Marostica, Prato, Abbiategrasso and Pero-Cerchiate.
To all of you, I wish a good Sunday and please don't forget to pray for me! Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Address of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In today's gospel, the evangelist Luke briefly summarizes Jesus' work of evangelization before presenting his keynote speech delivered in Nazareth. This is activity that Jesus accomplishes with the power of the Holy Spirit: his word is new, for it reveals the meaning of the Scriptures; it is also an authoritative word because it even commands the impure spirits and they obey him (cf Mk 1:27). Jesus is different from the the other teachers of his time: for example, he does not open a school for the study of the Law, but be goes around preaching and teaching everywhere - in the synagogues, in the streets, in houses ... he was always on the go! Jesus is also different from John the Baptist who proclaimed the approaching judgement of God; instead, Jesus announced the Father's forgiveness.
Now, let us imagine entering into the synagogue in Nazareth, the village where Jesus lived until the age of 30 years. What happened that day was an important event, that defined Jesus' mission. He got up to read from the Holy Scriptures. He unrolled the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah and read the passage where where it is written: the Spirit of the Lord is upon me; for he has consecrated me with an anointing and has sent me to bring good news to the poor (Lk 4:18). Then, after a moment of silence, filled with anticipation on the part of all the people, to their great amazement he said: This Scripture passage that you have heard is being accomplished (Lk 4:21).
To evangelize the poor: this is Jesus' mission, according to what he said; this is also the mission of the Church, and of every one of those who are baptized in the Church. To be Christian, we must also be missionaries. To proclaim the gospel, with words and, more importantly with our lives, is the principal aim of the Christian community and of every one of her members. We should note here that Jesus directed the Good News to everyone, without no exceptions, to the privileged and to those who were distanced, the suffering, the sick, those who are ignored by society.
We ask ourselves: what does it mean to evangelize the poor? It means above all to draw close to them, to experience the joy of serving them, of freeing them from their oppression, and all this in the name of and with the Spirit of Christ, for he is God's Gospel, He is God's Mercy, He is God's freedom, He is the one who made himself poor and drew close to us in his poverty. Isaiah's text, reinforced by a few adaptations that Jesus added, shows us that the messianic proclamation of the Kingdom of God which came among us is offered in a particular way to those who are marginalized, to prisoners and to those who are oppressed.
Most probably, in the time of Jesus, these people were not the focus of the community of faith. We can ask ourselves: today, in our parish communities, in our associations, in our movements, are we faithful to Christ's pastoral plan? Is it a priority for us to evangelize of the poor, to proclaim the joyful news to them? Be careful: it's not only a matter of providing social assistance or of some political activity. It's a matter of offering the strength of God's gospel that converts hearts, heals wounds, transforms human relationships according to the logic of love. The poor are in fact at the centre of the gospel.
May the Virgin Mary, Mother of evangelists help us to be keenly aware of the hunger and thirst for the gospel that exists in the world, especially in the hearts and in the minds of the poor. May she obtain for each one of us and for every Christian community, the concrete witness of mercy, the great mercy that Christ has given us.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet you all with great affection, who have come from various parishes throughout Italy and from other countries, as well as members of various associations and families.
I especially greet the students from Zafra and the faithful from Cervellò (they're Spanish); those who are participating in the convention organized by the World community for Christian meditation, and the groups of faithful who have come from the Archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto, from Tarcento, Marostica, Prato, Abbiategrasso and Pero-Cerchiate.
To all of you, I wish a good Sunday and please don't forget to pray for me! Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
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