This morning, at 10:00am (GMT+1), Pope Francis held the first of the audiences which are scheduled to take place once a month during the Jubilee of Mercy, during which he will meet with pilgrims and the faithful who have come to Rome to celebrate the Jubilee.
In his speech, the Pope focused his catechesis on Mercy and Mission, commenting on a passage of scripture: Jn 1: 41-42.
Following each of the summaries of his catechesis, which were presented in various languages, the Holy Father addressed particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
The Jubilee Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Day after day, we enter into the life of the Holy Year of Mercy. In his grace, the Lord guides our steps as we pass through the Holy Door and meets with us, remaining with us always, even despite our failings and our contradictions. We never grow tired of feeling the need for his forgiveness, for when we are weak, his nearness makes us strong and enables us to live with greater joy and faith.
Today, I would like to explain to you the close link between mercy and mission. As Saint John Paul II reminded us: The Church lives an authentic life when she professes and proclaims mercy and when she brings people close to the font of mercy (Encyclical, Dives in misericordia, 13). As Christians, we have a responsibility to be missionaries of the gospel. When we receive good news, or when we l experience something good, it is natural that we feel compelled to share it with others. We feel within us that we cannot contain the joy that has been given to us: we want to share it. Joy itself is what drives us to share it with others.
It should be the same when we meet the Lord: the joy of our encounter, of his mercy ... to share the mercy of the Lord. Indeed, the concrete sign that we have truly encountered Jesus is the joy that we experience as we tell others about the one we have met. This is not a matter of proselytizing, it is a gift that we give: I give you something that makes me happy. Reading the Gospel, we see that this was the experience of the first disciples: after his first encounter with Jesus, Andrew went right away to tell his brother Peter about it (cf Jn 1:40-42), and the same thing happened between Philip and Nathaniel (cf Jn 1:45-46). Meeting Jesus is the same as encountering his love. This love transforms us and makes us able to transmit to others the strength that it gives. In a way, we could say that on the day of our Baptism, each one of us receives a new name, along with the names that our mothers and fathers have given to us, and his name is Christopher: we are all Christophers. What does this mean? Christ bearers. This is the name of our attitude, an attitude of joyful carriers of Christ, of Christ's mercy. Every Christian is a Christopher, a Christ bearer!
The mercy that we receive from the Lord is not given as a consolation prize, but it makes us instruments, so that others can also receive the same gift. There is a wonderful circular connection between mercy and mission. Living mercy makes us missionaries of mercy, and being missionaries allows us to grow in the mercy of God. Thus, let us seriously consider our Christianity and strive to live as believers, for only in this way can the gospel touch the hearts of people and open them to receive the grace of love, and to receive the great mercy of God who welcomes all people.
The above remarks were then presented in summary in various languages, and the Holy Father offered greetings to each of the groups of pilgrims in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I offer an affectionate greeting to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience. May your stay in the Eternal City confirm you in love for our Lord, and may he make you his missionaries of mercy, especially for all those who feel distant from God. May God bless you all!
In his address to Italian-speaking pilgrims, the Holy Father asked them to pray for one of the members of his household:
Someone among you asked what the Pope's house is like, where the Pope lives. The Pope lives here, inside, in the Casa Santa Marta. It's a large house, where there are forty priests and other bishops who work with me in the Curia, and there are some guests: Cardinals, Bishops, lay people who have come to Rome for meetings in various Dicasteries, and such things ... And there is a group of men and women who work within the house, either cleaning, cooking or serving in the dining room. This group of men and women are part of our family, they make up a part of our family: they are not only employees, we consider them as part of our family. I want to tell you that today, the Pope is a bit sad because yesterday, one of the ladies who has helped us very much, for a very long time, was missing. Her husband also works here with us, in this house. Following a long illness, the Lord has called her to Himself. Her name is Elvira. I invite you, today, to do two works of mercy: pray for the dead and console the suffering. I invite you to pray a Hail Mary for eternal peace and joy for Elvira and that the Lord will console her husband and her children.
In his speech, the Pope focused his catechesis on Mercy and Mission, commenting on a passage of scripture: Jn 1: 41-42.
Following each of the summaries of his catechesis, which were presented in various languages, the Holy Father addressed particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
The Jubilee Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father
for the Jubilee Audience
on Mercy and Mission
on Mercy and Mission
Dear brothers and sisters,
Day after day, we enter into the life of the Holy Year of Mercy. In his grace, the Lord guides our steps as we pass through the Holy Door and meets with us, remaining with us always, even despite our failings and our contradictions. We never grow tired of feeling the need for his forgiveness, for when we are weak, his nearness makes us strong and enables us to live with greater joy and faith.
Today, I would like to explain to you the close link between mercy and mission. As Saint John Paul II reminded us: The Church lives an authentic life when she professes and proclaims mercy and when she brings people close to the font of mercy (Encyclical, Dives in misericordia, 13). As Christians, we have a responsibility to be missionaries of the gospel. When we receive good news, or when we l experience something good, it is natural that we feel compelled to share it with others. We feel within us that we cannot contain the joy that has been given to us: we want to share it. Joy itself is what drives us to share it with others.
It should be the same when we meet the Lord: the joy of our encounter, of his mercy ... to share the mercy of the Lord. Indeed, the concrete sign that we have truly encountered Jesus is the joy that we experience as we tell others about the one we have met. This is not a matter of proselytizing, it is a gift that we give: I give you something that makes me happy. Reading the Gospel, we see that this was the experience of the first disciples: after his first encounter with Jesus, Andrew went right away to tell his brother Peter about it (cf Jn 1:40-42), and the same thing happened between Philip and Nathaniel (cf Jn 1:45-46). Meeting Jesus is the same as encountering his love. This love transforms us and makes us able to transmit to others the strength that it gives. In a way, we could say that on the day of our Baptism, each one of us receives a new name, along with the names that our mothers and fathers have given to us, and his name is Christopher: we are all Christophers. What does this mean? Christ bearers. This is the name of our attitude, an attitude of joyful carriers of Christ, of Christ's mercy. Every Christian is a Christopher, a Christ bearer!
The mercy that we receive from the Lord is not given as a consolation prize, but it makes us instruments, so that others can also receive the same gift. There is a wonderful circular connection between mercy and mission. Living mercy makes us missionaries of mercy, and being missionaries allows us to grow in the mercy of God. Thus, let us seriously consider our Christianity and strive to live as believers, for only in this way can the gospel touch the hearts of people and open them to receive the grace of love, and to receive the great mercy of God who welcomes all people.
The above remarks were then presented in summary in various languages, and the Holy Father offered greetings to each of the groups of pilgrims in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I offer an affectionate greeting to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience. May your stay in the Eternal City confirm you in love for our Lord, and may he make you his missionaries of mercy, especially for all those who feel distant from God. May God bless you all!
In his address to Italian-speaking pilgrims, the Holy Father asked them to pray for one of the members of his household:
Someone among you asked what the Pope's house is like, where the Pope lives. The Pope lives here, inside, in the Casa Santa Marta. It's a large house, where there are forty priests and other bishops who work with me in the Curia, and there are some guests: Cardinals, Bishops, lay people who have come to Rome for meetings in various Dicasteries, and such things ... And there is a group of men and women who work within the house, either cleaning, cooking or serving in the dining room. This group of men and women are part of our family, they make up a part of our family: they are not only employees, we consider them as part of our family. I want to tell you that today, the Pope is a bit sad because yesterday, one of the ladies who has helped us very much, for a very long time, was missing. Her husband also works here with us, in this house. Following a long illness, the Lord has called her to Himself. Her name is Elvira. I invite you, today, to do two works of mercy: pray for the dead and console the suffering. I invite you to pray a Hail Mary for eternal peace and joy for Elvira and that the Lord will console her husband and her children.
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