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 who were gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the usual Sunday appointment.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In today's gospel, the evangelist Luke tells us that Jesus, while he was on his way toward Jerusalem, entered into a village and was welcomed at the home of two sisters, Martha and Mary (cf Lk 10:38-42). Both of them offered a greeting to the Lord, but they did it in different ways. Mary sat down at the feet of Jesus and listened to what he had to say (cf Lk 10:39), while Martha was concerned about everything she had to prepare; and at a certain point, she said to Jesus: Lord, are you not concerned that my sister has left me all alone to serve you? Tell her to come and help me (Lk 10:40). And Jesus responded: Martha, Martha, you are worried and concerned about many things, but only one is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her (Lk 10:41-42).
In the midst of her busyness and her concern to do so many things, Martha risked the possibility of forgetting - and this is the problem - the thing that was the most important: the presence of her guest, who in this case was Jesus. It's not just a matter of simply serving a guest, feeding him/her, but also of caring for him/her in every way. Above all, a guest must be listened to. Remember this word well: listen! A guest must be welcomed as a person, with his/her own story, his/her heart enriched by thoughts and feelings, in order for him/her to feel truly at home. But if you welcome someone into your home and then continue doing things, if you ask your guest to be seated and then don't speak to him/her, it's as though he/she were made of stone: a stone guest. No. A guest should be listened to. Of course, the response that Jesus gave to Martha - when he told her that only one thing was necessary - finds its full meaning in reference to listening to the word of Jesus himself, the word that illuminates and sustains all of us in what we do. If we are praying - for example - in front of the crucifix, and we continue to speak, speak, speak and we don't take time to listen, we will never hear Jesus! We will never allow him to speak to our hearts. Listen: this is the key word. Don't forget it! We should never forget that in the house of Martha and Mary, Jesus, before he was Lord and Master, was a pilgrim and a guest. Therefore, his response has a first and most important meaning: Martha, Martha, why do you concern yourself with doing so many things for your guest that you forget about his presence? - A stone guest! - If you want to welcome him, it's not necessary to do many things; rather, there is only one thing that is necessary: listen - this is the word: listen -, show him an attitude of fraternity, so that he will feel at home, and not only in a temporary shelter.
If this is understood, hospitality, which is one of the works of mercy, can truly be understood as a human and a Christian virtue, a virtue that in today's world is at risk of being neglected. In fact there are more and more homes for the aged and hospices, but not all of these places create an environment where true hospitality is practiced. There are various institutions that provide for many kinds of sickness, solitude, marginalization, but that decrease the chances for those who are truly strangers, on the margins, excluded, to find someone who is willing to listen to them: because only a stranger, a refugee, a migrant will listen to such a sad story. Even in our own homes, surrounded by our own family, it is possible that we might find help and various kinds of care but still not listen to them or welcome them. These days, we are so occupied, in a frenzy, with so many problems - some of which truly are not important - that we seem to have lost the capability to listen to one another. We are constantly busy and so we have no time to listen. I want to ask you something, to ask a question, every one of you answer in the quiet of your heart: all you men, do you make time to listen to your wives, and you women, do you make time to listen to your husbands? Parents, do you have time, time to lose, to listen to your children? or your grandmothers, or the elderly? - But grandmothers always repeat the same things, they are boring ... But they need to be listened to! Listen! I ask you to learn how to listen and to dedicate a bit of your time to listening. The ability to listen is the foundation of peace.
May the Virgin Mary, Mother of listening and of considerate service, teach us to be welcoming and hospitable toward our brothers and our sisters.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
In our hearts, there is a real pain over the massacre that took place last Thursday evening in Nice, so many innocent lives were lost, even many children. I am close to all the families and to the entire French nation which is in mourning. May God, the good Father, welcome all the victims into his peace; may he support those who have been wounded and comfort their family members; may He disband every effort aimed at terror and death, so that no man may dare to spill his brother's blood. I extend a paternal and fraternal embrace to all the inhabitants of Nice and to the entire French nation. Now, all together, let us pray and think about this tragedy, let us pray for the victims and for their families. First let us pray in silence ...
Hail Mary ...
With great affection, I greet all of you, faithful of Rome and of various other countries. In particular, those from Ireland; I greet the pilgrims from the Dioceses of Armagh and Derry, and the candidates for the Permanent Diaconate from the Diocese of Elphin, along with their wives.
I greet the Rector and the second-year students from the Saint Pius X Pontifical Calabro Theological Seminary, the children from Spinadesco (Diocese of Cremona); the young people from the Pastoral Community of the Holy Apostles in Milan; the altar servers from Postioma and Porcellengo (Diocese of Treviso). And I also see there some brave Chinese pilgrims: hello to all of you, pilgrims from China!
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye.
Greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In today's gospel, the evangelist Luke tells us that Jesus, while he was on his way toward Jerusalem, entered into a village and was welcomed at the home of two sisters, Martha and Mary (cf Lk 10:38-42). Both of them offered a greeting to the Lord, but they did it in different ways. Mary sat down at the feet of Jesus and listened to what he had to say (cf Lk 10:39), while Martha was concerned about everything she had to prepare; and at a certain point, she said to Jesus: Lord, are you not concerned that my sister has left me all alone to serve you? Tell her to come and help me (Lk 10:40). And Jesus responded: Martha, Martha, you are worried and concerned about many things, but only one is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her (Lk 10:41-42).
In the midst of her busyness and her concern to do so many things, Martha risked the possibility of forgetting - and this is the problem - the thing that was the most important: the presence of her guest, who in this case was Jesus. It's not just a matter of simply serving a guest, feeding him/her, but also of caring for him/her in every way. Above all, a guest must be listened to. Remember this word well: listen! A guest must be welcomed as a person, with his/her own story, his/her heart enriched by thoughts and feelings, in order for him/her to feel truly at home. But if you welcome someone into your home and then continue doing things, if you ask your guest to be seated and then don't speak to him/her, it's as though he/she were made of stone: a stone guest. No. A guest should be listened to. Of course, the response that Jesus gave to Martha - when he told her that only one thing was necessary - finds its full meaning in reference to listening to the word of Jesus himself, the word that illuminates and sustains all of us in what we do. If we are praying - for example - in front of the crucifix, and we continue to speak, speak, speak and we don't take time to listen, we will never hear Jesus! We will never allow him to speak to our hearts. Listen: this is the key word. Don't forget it! We should never forget that in the house of Martha and Mary, Jesus, before he was Lord and Master, was a pilgrim and a guest. Therefore, his response has a first and most important meaning: Martha, Martha, why do you concern yourself with doing so many things for your guest that you forget about his presence? - A stone guest! - If you want to welcome him, it's not necessary to do many things; rather, there is only one thing that is necessary: listen - this is the word: listen -, show him an attitude of fraternity, so that he will feel at home, and not only in a temporary shelter.
If this is understood, hospitality, which is one of the works of mercy, can truly be understood as a human and a Christian virtue, a virtue that in today's world is at risk of being neglected. In fact there are more and more homes for the aged and hospices, but not all of these places create an environment where true hospitality is practiced. There are various institutions that provide for many kinds of sickness, solitude, marginalization, but that decrease the chances for those who are truly strangers, on the margins, excluded, to find someone who is willing to listen to them: because only a stranger, a refugee, a migrant will listen to such a sad story. Even in our own homes, surrounded by our own family, it is possible that we might find help and various kinds of care but still not listen to them or welcome them. These days, we are so occupied, in a frenzy, with so many problems - some of which truly are not important - that we seem to have lost the capability to listen to one another. We are constantly busy and so we have no time to listen. I want to ask you something, to ask a question, every one of you answer in the quiet of your heart: all you men, do you make time to listen to your wives, and you women, do you make time to listen to your husbands? Parents, do you have time, time to lose, to listen to your children? or your grandmothers, or the elderly? - But grandmothers always repeat the same things, they are boring ... But they need to be listened to! Listen! I ask you to learn how to listen and to dedicate a bit of your time to listening. The ability to listen is the foundation of peace.
May the Virgin Mary, Mother of listening and of considerate service, teach us to be welcoming and hospitable toward our brothers and our sisters.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
In our hearts, there is a real pain over the massacre that took place last Thursday evening in Nice, so many innocent lives were lost, even many children. I am close to all the families and to the entire French nation which is in mourning. May God, the good Father, welcome all the victims into his peace; may he support those who have been wounded and comfort their family members; may He disband every effort aimed at terror and death, so that no man may dare to spill his brother's blood. I extend a paternal and fraternal embrace to all the inhabitants of Nice and to the entire French nation. Now, all together, let us pray and think about this tragedy, let us pray for the victims and for their families. First let us pray in silence ...
Hail Mary ...
With great affection, I greet all of you, faithful of Rome and of various other countries. In particular, those from Ireland; I greet the pilgrims from the Dioceses of Armagh and Derry, and the candidates for the Permanent Diaconate from the Diocese of Elphin, along with their wives.
I greet the Rector and the second-year students from the Saint Pius X Pontifical Calabro Theological Seminary, the children from Spinadesco (Diocese of Cremona); the young people from the Pastoral Community of the Holy Apostles in Milan; the altar servers from Postioma and Porcellengo (Diocese of Treviso). And I also see there some brave Chinese pilgrims: hello to all of you, pilgrims from China!
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye.
No comments:
Post a Comment