This morning's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from every corner of the world.
In his speech, the Pope added his meditation on the Gospel of Mercy (Mt 3:13-16a, 17).
After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. He then issued a call on the occasion of the Third World Day of Sport for Peace and Development.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
After having reflected on the mercy of God in the Old Testament, today, we begin to meditate on how Jesus himself demonstrated mercy in its fullest sense. A mercy that He always expressed, brought about and communicated in every moment of his earthly life. Meeting the crowds, proclaiming the Gospel, seeing the sick, drawing close to the poor, forgiving sinners, Jesus made God's love for every person visible: no one is excluded! Open to all without any limitations. A pure, freely given, absolute love. A love that reached its culmination in the Sacrifice offered on the cross. Yes, the Gospel is truly a Gospel of Mercy because Jesus himself is Mercy!
All four Gospels attest to the fact that Jesus, before he began his ministry, desired to receive the baptism being offered by John the Baptist (Mt 3:13-17; Mk 1:9-11; Lk 3:21-22; Jn :29-34). This desire demonstrated a definitive orientation which characterized Jesus' entire mission. In fact, He did not present himself in a remarkable way in the temple, although he could have done so. He did not present himself with trumpet blasts, although he could have done so. Neither did he appear wearing he robes of a judge, although he could have done so. Instead, after thirty years of hidden life in Nazareth, Jesus went to the banks of the river Jordan, together with many other people, his people, and stood in line with sinners. He had no shame: he stood there with everyone, with sinners, waiting to be baptized. Therefore, even at the beginning of his ministry, He showed himself to be a Messiah who takes on the human condition, moved by a desire to be in solidarity and to show compassion. As he himself would affirm in the synagogue in Nazareth, when he read the prophesy of Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has consecrated me, anointed me and has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to prisoners and sight to the blind; to free those who are oppressed and to proclaim a year of the Lord's favour (Lk 4:18-19). All these things, Jesus accomplished after his baptism; it was the realization of the initial plan: to proclaim the love and salvation of God to all people. Jesus did not proclaim hatred, he did not proclaim enmity, he proclaimed love ... a great love, a heart that is open to all people, for all of us ... a saving love!
He was close to the poor, proclaiming the mercy of God who is forgiveness, joy and new life. Jesus, the Son who was sent by the Father, is truly the beginning of the time of mercy for all humanity! Those who were standing on the banks of the Jordan did not immediately understand the importance of Jesus' gesture. Even John the Baptist was surprised by his decision (cf Mt 3:14). But the heavenly Father, no! His voice was heard from on high: You are my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased (Mk 1:11). In this way, the Father affirms the life that his Son was undertaking as Messiah, which he demonstrated when He sent him the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Jesus' heart beats, so to speak, in unison with the heart of the Father and the Spirit, demonstrating to all mankind the fact that salvation is the fruit of God's mercy.
We can contemplate even more clearly the great mystery of this love by looking to the crucified Jesus. While he who was innocent was going to die for us sinners, He pled with the Father: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Lk 23:34). And on the cross, Jesus presented the sins of the world before the Father's mercy: the sins of every person, my sins, your sins. And there, on the cross, He presented them to the Father. Along with all the sins of the world, our sins too were wiped out. Nothing and no one is excluded from Jesus' sacrificial prayer. This means that we must not be afraid to recognize and to confess ourselves to be sinners. How many times do we say: But this one is a sinner ... he (or she) has done so and so ..., and we judge others. And you? Every one of us has to ask ourselves: Yes, this one is a sinner. And me? We are all sinners, but we have all been forgiven - we all have the possibility of receiving the forgiveness that is offered by God's mercy. We must not therefore insist on recognizing sinners, confessing ourselves to be sinners, because every sin was already placed on the cross by the Son. When we confess ourselves to be penitents, entrusting ourselves to Him, we can be certain that he forgives us. The Sacrament of Reconciliation makes the strength of his forgiveness, won for us on the cross, present for each of us ... and renews our lives in the merciful grace that Jesus acquired for us! We should not fear our sufferings: every one of us has our own difficulties. The power of the Crucified One's love knows no obstacles and is never exhausted. His mercy cancels our sufferings.
Beloved people, in this Jubilee Year, let us ask God to grant us the grace of experiencing the strength of the Gospel: the Gospel of mercy that transforms, allows us to enter into the heart of God, makes us able to look to others with more goodness. If we welcome the Gospel of the Crucified and Risen Christ, our entire lives will be shaped and renewed by the strength of his love.
This catechesis was then summarized in various languages and the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful 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, including those from England, Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and the United States. As we celebrate the Easter season, may our hearts be open to the Risen Lord so that, strengthened by his grace, we may share with our families and communities the Gospel of Mercy. God bless you all!
At the conclusion of the General Audience, the Holy Father issued the following call for prayer:
Today is the United Nations' Third World Day of Sport for Peace and Development. The language of sports is universal; it draws people together and can contribute to the meeting of peoples and the overcoming of conflicts. For this reason, I encourage you all to live the dimension of sports as a gymnasium of virtue seeking the integral growth of both individuals and communities.
In his speech, the Pope added his meditation on the Gospel of Mercy (Mt 3:13-16a, 17).
After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. He then issued a call on the occasion of the Third World Day of Sport for Peace and Development.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
After having reflected on the mercy of God in the Old Testament, today, we begin to meditate on how Jesus himself demonstrated mercy in its fullest sense. A mercy that He always expressed, brought about and communicated in every moment of his earthly life. Meeting the crowds, proclaiming the Gospel, seeing the sick, drawing close to the poor, forgiving sinners, Jesus made God's love for every person visible: no one is excluded! Open to all without any limitations. A pure, freely given, absolute love. A love that reached its culmination in the Sacrifice offered on the cross. Yes, the Gospel is truly a Gospel of Mercy because Jesus himself is Mercy!
All four Gospels attest to the fact that Jesus, before he began his ministry, desired to receive the baptism being offered by John the Baptist (Mt 3:13-17; Mk 1:9-11; Lk 3:21-22; Jn :29-34). This desire demonstrated a definitive orientation which characterized Jesus' entire mission. In fact, He did not present himself in a remarkable way in the temple, although he could have done so. He did not present himself with trumpet blasts, although he could have done so. Neither did he appear wearing he robes of a judge, although he could have done so. Instead, after thirty years of hidden life in Nazareth, Jesus went to the banks of the river Jordan, together with many other people, his people, and stood in line with sinners. He had no shame: he stood there with everyone, with sinners, waiting to be baptized. Therefore, even at the beginning of his ministry, He showed himself to be a Messiah who takes on the human condition, moved by a desire to be in solidarity and to show compassion. As he himself would affirm in the synagogue in Nazareth, when he read the prophesy of Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has consecrated me, anointed me and has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to prisoners and sight to the blind; to free those who are oppressed and to proclaim a year of the Lord's favour (Lk 4:18-19). All these things, Jesus accomplished after his baptism; it was the realization of the initial plan: to proclaim the love and salvation of God to all people. Jesus did not proclaim hatred, he did not proclaim enmity, he proclaimed love ... a great love, a heart that is open to all people, for all of us ... a saving love!
He was close to the poor, proclaiming the mercy of God who is forgiveness, joy and new life. Jesus, the Son who was sent by the Father, is truly the beginning of the time of mercy for all humanity! Those who were standing on the banks of the Jordan did not immediately understand the importance of Jesus' gesture. Even John the Baptist was surprised by his decision (cf Mt 3:14). But the heavenly Father, no! His voice was heard from on high: You are my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased (Mk 1:11). In this way, the Father affirms the life that his Son was undertaking as Messiah, which he demonstrated when He sent him the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Jesus' heart beats, so to speak, in unison with the heart of the Father and the Spirit, demonstrating to all mankind the fact that salvation is the fruit of God's mercy.
We can contemplate even more clearly the great mystery of this love by looking to the crucified Jesus. While he who was innocent was going to die for us sinners, He pled with the Father: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Lk 23:34). And on the cross, Jesus presented the sins of the world before the Father's mercy: the sins of every person, my sins, your sins. And there, on the cross, He presented them to the Father. Along with all the sins of the world, our sins too were wiped out. Nothing and no one is excluded from Jesus' sacrificial prayer. This means that we must not be afraid to recognize and to confess ourselves to be sinners. How many times do we say: But this one is a sinner ... he (or she) has done so and so ..., and we judge others. And you? Every one of us has to ask ourselves: Yes, this one is a sinner. And me? We are all sinners, but we have all been forgiven - we all have the possibility of receiving the forgiveness that is offered by God's mercy. We must not therefore insist on recognizing sinners, confessing ourselves to be sinners, because every sin was already placed on the cross by the Son. When we confess ourselves to be penitents, entrusting ourselves to Him, we can be certain that he forgives us. The Sacrament of Reconciliation makes the strength of his forgiveness, won for us on the cross, present for each of us ... and renews our lives in the merciful grace that Jesus acquired for us! We should not fear our sufferings: every one of us has our own difficulties. The power of the Crucified One's love knows no obstacles and is never exhausted. His mercy cancels our sufferings.
Beloved people, in this Jubilee Year, let us ask God to grant us the grace of experiencing the strength of the Gospel: the Gospel of mercy that transforms, allows us to enter into the heart of God, makes us able to look to others with more goodness. If we welcome the Gospel of the Crucified and Risen Christ, our entire lives will be shaped and renewed by the strength of his love.
This catechesis was then summarized in various languages and the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful 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, including those from England, Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and the United States. As we celebrate the Easter season, may our hearts be open to the Risen Lord so that, strengthened by his grace, we may share with our families and communities the Gospel of Mercy. God bless you all!
At the conclusion of the General Audience, the Holy Father issued the following call for prayer:
Today is the United Nations' Third World Day of Sport for Peace and Development. The language of sports is universal; it draws people together and can contribute to the meeting of peoples and the overcoming of conflicts. For this reason, I encourage you all to live the dimension of sports as a gymnasium of virtue seeking the integral growth of both individuals and communities.
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