At noon today (in Rome), the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful and with pilgrims who were gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the usual Sunday appointment.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Happy Sunday!
Today's liturgy, for the second Sunday after Christmas (the Epiphany is always celebrated in Rome on January 6), presents the Prologue to the gospel of Saint John, in which is proclaimed that the Word - the creating Word of God - took on flesh and came to live among us (Jn 1:14). That Word, which lived in heaven, that is to say in the realm of God, came to earth so that we might hear it and be able to know and touch the love of the father with our own hands. The Word of God is the same as his only begotten Son, who became man, full of love and fidelity (cf Jn 1:14), and the same Jesus.
The Evangelist does not hide the drama of the Incarnation of the Son of God, but stresses the fact that God's gift of love was met with non-acceptance on the part of mankind. The Word is the light, but mankind preferred darkness; the Word comes among them but they did not accept it (Jn 1:9-10). They closed the door in the face of the Son of God. This is the mystery of evil that also threatens our lives and demands vigilance and attention on our part in order that it will not prevail. The Book of Genesis uses a beautiful phrase that captures this truth: it says that evil is crouching at our door (Gn 4:7). Woe to us if we allow it to enter; it would be evil then that would close our door to anything else. Instead, we are called to open wide the doors of our hearts to the Word of God, to Jesus, in order to thereby become his children.
On Christmas day, this solemn beginning of the Gospel of John was proclaimed (during the liturgy for Christmas Day); today it is once again proposed. It is the invitation of our holy Mother, the Church for us to welcome this Word of salvation, this mystery of light. If we welcome it, if we welcome Jesus, we will grown in knowledge and in love of the Lord, learning to be merciful as he is merciful. Especially during this Holy Year of Mercy, let us ensure that the gospel increasingly becomes a reality in our lives. Approaching the gospel, meditating upon it and allowing it to become incarnate in our daily lives is the best way to know Jesus and to share him with others. This is the vocation and the joy of every one of the baptized: to point out Jesus and to share him with others; but in order to do this we need to know him and to possess him within us, as Lord of our lives. He defends us from evil, from the devil, who is always crouching at our doors, the doors of our hearts, waiting to enter.
With a renewed burst of filial abandonment, we confide ourselves once again to Mary: her sweet image of the mother of Jesus and our mother which we contemplate during these days in the manger.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I cordially greet all of you, faithful from Rome and pilgrims who have come from other parts of Italy and from other countries. I greet the families, the associations, the various parish groups, especially the ones from Monzambano, the recently Confirmed children from Bonate Sotto and the youth from Maleo.
On this first Sunday of the year, I renew to all of you my wishes for peace and for the Lord's blessings. In moments of joy and of sadness, let us trust in him who is our source of mercy and our hope! I also recall the commitment that we have accepted at the beginning of the year, the Day of Peace to: Overcome indifference and achieving peace; with the grace of God, may we put this into practice. I also recall the advice that I have repeated many times before: every day, read a bit of the gospel, a passage of the gospel, in order to know Jesus better, to open our hearts wide to Jesus, and therefore we will be better able to make him known to others. Carry a small copy of the gospel in your purse, in your pocket; it will do you good. Don't forget: every day, read a passage from the gospels.
I wish you a good Sunday and enjoy your lunch ... and please, please don't forget to pray for me. Good bye.
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters,
Happy Sunday!
Today's liturgy, for the second Sunday after Christmas (the Epiphany is always celebrated in Rome on January 6), presents the Prologue to the gospel of Saint John, in which is proclaimed that the Word - the creating Word of God - took on flesh and came to live among us (Jn 1:14). That Word, which lived in heaven, that is to say in the realm of God, came to earth so that we might hear it and be able to know and touch the love of the father with our own hands. The Word of God is the same as his only begotten Son, who became man, full of love and fidelity (cf Jn 1:14), and the same Jesus.
The Evangelist does not hide the drama of the Incarnation of the Son of God, but stresses the fact that God's gift of love was met with non-acceptance on the part of mankind. The Word is the light, but mankind preferred darkness; the Word comes among them but they did not accept it (Jn 1:9-10). They closed the door in the face of the Son of God. This is the mystery of evil that also threatens our lives and demands vigilance and attention on our part in order that it will not prevail. The Book of Genesis uses a beautiful phrase that captures this truth: it says that evil is crouching at our door (Gn 4:7). Woe to us if we allow it to enter; it would be evil then that would close our door to anything else. Instead, we are called to open wide the doors of our hearts to the Word of God, to Jesus, in order to thereby become his children.
On Christmas day, this solemn beginning of the Gospel of John was proclaimed (during the liturgy for Christmas Day); today it is once again proposed. It is the invitation of our holy Mother, the Church for us to welcome this Word of salvation, this mystery of light. If we welcome it, if we welcome Jesus, we will grown in knowledge and in love of the Lord, learning to be merciful as he is merciful. Especially during this Holy Year of Mercy, let us ensure that the gospel increasingly becomes a reality in our lives. Approaching the gospel, meditating upon it and allowing it to become incarnate in our daily lives is the best way to know Jesus and to share him with others. This is the vocation and the joy of every one of the baptized: to point out Jesus and to share him with others; but in order to do this we need to know him and to possess him within us, as Lord of our lives. He defends us from evil, from the devil, who is always crouching at our doors, the doors of our hearts, waiting to enter.
With a renewed burst of filial abandonment, we confide ourselves once again to Mary: her sweet image of the mother of Jesus and our mother which we contemplate during these days in the manger.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I cordially greet all of you, faithful from Rome and pilgrims who have come from other parts of Italy and from other countries. I greet the families, the associations, the various parish groups, especially the ones from Monzambano, the recently Confirmed children from Bonate Sotto and the youth from Maleo.
On this first Sunday of the year, I renew to all of you my wishes for peace and for the Lord's blessings. In moments of joy and of sadness, let us trust in him who is our source of mercy and our hope! I also recall the commitment that we have accepted at the beginning of the year, the Day of Peace to: Overcome indifference and achieving peace; with the grace of God, may we put this into practice. I also recall the advice that I have repeated many times before: every day, read a bit of the gospel, a passage of the gospel, in order to know Jesus better, to open our hearts wide to Jesus, and therefore we will be better able to make him known to others. Carry a small copy of the gospel in your purse, in your pocket; it will do you good. Don't forget: every day, read a passage from the gospels.
I wish you a good Sunday and enjoy your lunch ... and please, please don't forget to pray for me. Good bye.
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