At 12:00 noon today, 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!
The second reading for today's liturgy presents us with the teachings of Saint Paul to Timothy, his fellow worker and beloved son, in which he reflects upon the existence of apostles who are entirely consecrated to the mission at hand (cf 2 Tim 4:6-8, 16-18). Seeing himself now at the end of his earthly journey, he describes it by referring to three seasons: the present, the past and the future.
The present, he describes with the metaphor of sacrifice: I am being poured out as an offering (2 Tim 4:6). As to the past, Paul describes the life he has lived with the image of a good fight and the race of a man who was faithful to his commitments and responsibilities (cf 2 Tim 4:7); as a result, he is confident that the will be recognized by God, who is the just judge (2 Tim 4:8). But Paul's mission was effective, just and true only because of the closeness and the strength of the Lord who made him a preacher of the gospel to all nations. This is how he describes it: The Lord was close to me and gave me strength, so that his gospel might be fully proclaimed for all the Gentiles to hear it (2 Tim 4:17).
In this autobiographical account, Saint Paul mirrors the Church, especially today, which is World Mission Sunday and bears the theme: Missionary Church, witness of mercy. In Paul, the Christian community finds its model, in the conviction that it is the presence of the Lord that makes our apostolic work and the work of evangelization effective. The experience of the apostle to the gentiles reminds us that we must be committed to pastoral and mission activity, on one hand, as though the result depended on our own efforts, with the spirit of sacrifice that makes an athlete continue without stopping despite the experience of defeat; and on the other hand, knowing that the true success of our mission is a gift of grace: it is the Holy Spirit who makes the mission of the Church in the world effective.
Ours is a time of mission and a time for courage! Courage to strengthen our stumbling steps, to rediscover the taste of spending our lives for the gospel, a time to regain confidence in the interior strength that mission gives us. This is a time for courage, even if we have courage it does not mean that we are guaranteed to succeed. We need to have courage in order to fight, not necessarily to win; to proclaim, not necessarily to convert. We need courage in order to be an alternative to the world, without ever becoming argumentative or aggressive. We need courage in order to open ourselves to everyone, without ever belittling the absoluteness and uniqueness of Christ, the one saviour of all peoples. We need courage in order to stand up to unbelief, without becoming arrogant. We also need the courage of the publican in today's gospel, who with humility dares not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but instead beat his breast as he prayed: O God, be merciful to me a sinner. This is the time for courage. Today, we need courage!
May the Virgin Mary, model of the Church that goes out and docile to the Holy Spirit, help us all to be, by reason of our baptism, missionary disciples ready to proclaim the message of salvation to the entire human family.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
In these dramatic hours, I am close to all the people of Iraq, especially those in the city of Mosul. Our hearts are shocked by the heinous acts of violence that for too long are being committed against innocent civilians, regardless of whether they are Muslims, Christians or whether they belong to other ethnicities or religions. I was saddened to hear the news of the killing in cold blood of numerous children in that beloved land, among which there are also babies. This cruelty makes us cry, leaves us speechless. The word solidarity is accompanied with the assurance of my prayers, that Iraq, even as she is suffering, remains strong and solid in her hope of being able to go forward toward a future of security, reconciliation and peace. I ask you all to join me in a moment of silent prayer for this intention.
Silence, followed by the recitation of the Hail Mary ...
Dear brothers and sisters,
I extend an affectionate greeting to all of you, pilgrims from Italy and from other countries, beginning with the Poles, who are commemorating here in Rome and in their homeland the 1050th anniversary of the presence of Christianity in Poland.
I joyfully welcome the participants taking part in the Jubilee of Italian Choirs, the runners from Assisi who represent all Italians Pro Loco and the young people from the Confraternities of the Dioceses of Italy.
There are also present here, various groups of the faithful from many Italian parishes: it is not possible for me to greet you one by one, but I encourage you to joyfully continue your journey of faith. A special thought is offered to the Peruvian community here in Rome, gathered here with the sacred image of Señor de los Milagros (the Lord of miracles).
I thank you all and greet you with great affection. Happy Sunday! And please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
The second reading for today's liturgy presents us with the teachings of Saint Paul to Timothy, his fellow worker and beloved son, in which he reflects upon the existence of apostles who are entirely consecrated to the mission at hand (cf 2 Tim 4:6-8, 16-18). Seeing himself now at the end of his earthly journey, he describes it by referring to three seasons: the present, the past and the future.
The present, he describes with the metaphor of sacrifice: I am being poured out as an offering (2 Tim 4:6). As to the past, Paul describes the life he has lived with the image of a good fight and the race of a man who was faithful to his commitments and responsibilities (cf 2 Tim 4:7); as a result, he is confident that the will be recognized by God, who is the just judge (2 Tim 4:8). But Paul's mission was effective, just and true only because of the closeness and the strength of the Lord who made him a preacher of the gospel to all nations. This is how he describes it: The Lord was close to me and gave me strength, so that his gospel might be fully proclaimed for all the Gentiles to hear it (2 Tim 4:17).
In this autobiographical account, Saint Paul mirrors the Church, especially today, which is World Mission Sunday and bears the theme: Missionary Church, witness of mercy. In Paul, the Christian community finds its model, in the conviction that it is the presence of the Lord that makes our apostolic work and the work of evangelization effective. The experience of the apostle to the gentiles reminds us that we must be committed to pastoral and mission activity, on one hand, as though the result depended on our own efforts, with the spirit of sacrifice that makes an athlete continue without stopping despite the experience of defeat; and on the other hand, knowing that the true success of our mission is a gift of grace: it is the Holy Spirit who makes the mission of the Church in the world effective.
Ours is a time of mission and a time for courage! Courage to strengthen our stumbling steps, to rediscover the taste of spending our lives for the gospel, a time to regain confidence in the interior strength that mission gives us. This is a time for courage, even if we have courage it does not mean that we are guaranteed to succeed. We need to have courage in order to fight, not necessarily to win; to proclaim, not necessarily to convert. We need courage in order to be an alternative to the world, without ever becoming argumentative or aggressive. We need courage in order to open ourselves to everyone, without ever belittling the absoluteness and uniqueness of Christ, the one saviour of all peoples. We need courage in order to stand up to unbelief, without becoming arrogant. We also need the courage of the publican in today's gospel, who with humility dares not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but instead beat his breast as he prayed: O God, be merciful to me a sinner. This is the time for courage. Today, we need courage!
May the Virgin Mary, model of the Church that goes out and docile to the Holy Spirit, help us all to be, by reason of our baptism, missionary disciples ready to proclaim the message of salvation to the entire human family.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
In these dramatic hours, I am close to all the people of Iraq, especially those in the city of Mosul. Our hearts are shocked by the heinous acts of violence that for too long are being committed against innocent civilians, regardless of whether they are Muslims, Christians or whether they belong to other ethnicities or religions. I was saddened to hear the news of the killing in cold blood of numerous children in that beloved land, among which there are also babies. This cruelty makes us cry, leaves us speechless. The word solidarity is accompanied with the assurance of my prayers, that Iraq, even as she is suffering, remains strong and solid in her hope of being able to go forward toward a future of security, reconciliation and peace. I ask you all to join me in a moment of silent prayer for this intention.
Silence, followed by the recitation of the Hail Mary ...
Dear brothers and sisters,
I extend an affectionate greeting to all of you, pilgrims from Italy and from other countries, beginning with the Poles, who are commemorating here in Rome and in their homeland the 1050th anniversary of the presence of Christianity in Poland.
I joyfully welcome the participants taking part in the Jubilee of Italian Choirs, the runners from Assisi who represent all Italians Pro Loco and the young people from the Confraternities of the Dioceses of Italy.
There are also present here, various groups of the faithful from many Italian parishes: it is not possible for me to greet you one by one, but I encourage you to joyfully continue your journey of faith. A special thought is offered to the Peruvian community here in Rome, gathered here with the sacred image of Señor de los Milagros (the Lord of miracles).
I thank you all and greet you with great affection. Happy Sunday! And please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
No comments:
Post a Comment