This morning's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square, where the Holy Father met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from all corners of the world.
In his speech, the Pope continued his catechesis on mercy, adding a meditation on the theme: Welcome the stranger and clothe the naked (cf Mt 2:13-15).
After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular greetings to the groups of faithful in attendance.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
We continue our reflections on the corporal works of mercy, which the Lord Jesus confided to us in order to keep our faith always alive and dynamic. In fact, these works show clearly that Christians are not tired and lazy as we await the final encounter with the Lord, but every day, they go out to others, recognizing his face in the faces of the many persons who ask for help. Today, we focus on this word of Jesus: I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me (Mt 25:25-36). In our times, work with those who are strangers is more needed than ever before. The economic crisis, armed conflicts and the changing climate are forcing many people to the margins. However, migration is not a new phenomenon; it is part of the history of humanity. It is a lack of historical memory to think that this is something that has only happened in recent years.
The bible offers us many concrete examples of migration. It is enough to think about Abraham. The call of God drove him to leave his country and to go to another: Go from your country, and your kindred, and your father's house, toward the land that I will point out to you (Gen 12:1). It was so also for the people of Israel, who from Egypt, where they were slaves, went marching for forty years in the desert until they reached God’s Promised Land. The Holy Family itself – Mary, Joseph and the little Jesus – was forced to emigrate, to flee from Herod’s threat: Joseph rose and took the child and His Mother by night, and departed to Egypt, where he remained until Herod’s death (Mt 2:14-15). The history of humanity is the history of migrations: in all latitudes there are no people that have not known the migratory phenomenon.
In this connection, in the course of the centuries we witnessed great expressions of solidarity, even though social tensions were not lacking. Today, unfortunately, the context of economic crisis fosters the emergence of closed and unwelcome attitudes. Walls and barriers rise in some parts of the world. It seems sometimes that the silent work of many men and women, who spend themselves in different ways to help and assist refugees and migrants, is overshadowed by the noise of others who give voice to an instinctive egoism. But closure is not a solution; rather it ends by fostering criminal trafficking. The only way to work toward a solution is solidarity — solidarity with the migrant, solidarity with the stranger.
Christians’ commitment in this field is as urgent today as it was in the past. To look only at the last century, we recall the stupendous figure of Saint Frances Cabrini, who dedicated her life, together with her companions, to immigrants in the United States of America. Today we are also in need of these testimonies so that mercy can reach the many who are in need. It is a commitment that involves everyone; no one is excluded. Dioceses, parishes, Institutes of Consecrated Life, Associations and Movements, as well as individual Christians, we are all called to receive brothers and sisters fleeing from war, from hunger, from violence and from inhuman conditions of life. All of us together are a great source of support for all those who have lost their homeland, family, work and dignity. A little story happened a few days ago in the city. A refugee was looking for a street and a lady approached him and said to him: But are you looking for something? That refugee was without shoes. And he said: I would like to go to Saint Peter’s to enter the Holy Door. And the lady thought: But he doesn’t have shoes, how can he walk? And she called a taxi. But that migrant, that refugee stank and the driver of the taxi almost did not want him to get in, but in the end he let him get into the taxi. And, in the course of the trip, the lady, who was beside him, asked him about his story as a refugee and migrant: it took ten minutes to arrive here. The man told his story of grief, of war, of hunger and why he fled from his country to migrate here. When they arrived, the lady opened her purse to pay the taxi driver and the driver, who at first did not want the migrant to get in because he stank, said to the lady: No, madam, I should pay you because you made me hear a story that has changed my heart. This lady knew the pain of a migrant because she had Armenian blood and knew the suffering of her people. When we do something of this sort; initially we refuse because it gives us some trouble, but … he stinks … But in the end, the story perfumes our soul and makes us change. Think of this story and let us think what we can do for the refugees.
And the other thing is to clothe the naked: what does it mean if not to restore dignity to one who has lost it? Certainly, to give garments to those deprived of them, but we think also of the women victims of trafficking thrown out on the streets, or of the others, too many ways of using the human body as merchandise, even of minors. And so, to not have work, a home, a just salary is also a form of nakedness, or to be discriminated against because of race or because of faith – they are all forms of nakedness, situations in which as Christians we are called to be attentive, vigilant and ready to act.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us not fall into the trap of withdrawing into ourselves, indifferent to the needs of brothers and concerned only about our own interests. It is precisely in the measure to which we open our hearts to others that life becomes fertile, societies re-acquire peace and individuals recover their full dignity. And do not forget that lady, do not forget that migrant who stank and do not forget the driver whose soul was changed by the migrant.
The above 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 greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Wales, Ireland, Finland, Norway, Israel, Australia, Indonesia, China, Japan, Canada and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Mercy will be a moment of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.
In his speech, the Pope continued his catechesis on mercy, adding a meditation on the theme: Welcome the stranger and clothe the naked (cf Mt 2:13-15).
After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular greetings to the groups of faithful in attendance.
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!
We continue our reflections on the corporal works of mercy, which the Lord Jesus confided to us in order to keep our faith always alive and dynamic. In fact, these works show clearly that Christians are not tired and lazy as we await the final encounter with the Lord, but every day, they go out to others, recognizing his face in the faces of the many persons who ask for help. Today, we focus on this word of Jesus: I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me (Mt 25:25-36). In our times, work with those who are strangers is more needed than ever before. The economic crisis, armed conflicts and the changing climate are forcing many people to the margins. However, migration is not a new phenomenon; it is part of the history of humanity. It is a lack of historical memory to think that this is something that has only happened in recent years.
The bible offers us many concrete examples of migration. It is enough to think about Abraham. The call of God drove him to leave his country and to go to another: Go from your country, and your kindred, and your father's house, toward the land that I will point out to you (Gen 12:1). It was so also for the people of Israel, who from Egypt, where they were slaves, went marching for forty years in the desert until they reached God’s Promised Land. The Holy Family itself – Mary, Joseph and the little Jesus – was forced to emigrate, to flee from Herod’s threat: Joseph rose and took the child and His Mother by night, and departed to Egypt, where he remained until Herod’s death (Mt 2:14-15). The history of humanity is the history of migrations: in all latitudes there are no people that have not known the migratory phenomenon.
In this connection, in the course of the centuries we witnessed great expressions of solidarity, even though social tensions were not lacking. Today, unfortunately, the context of economic crisis fosters the emergence of closed and unwelcome attitudes. Walls and barriers rise in some parts of the world. It seems sometimes that the silent work of many men and women, who spend themselves in different ways to help and assist refugees and migrants, is overshadowed by the noise of others who give voice to an instinctive egoism. But closure is not a solution; rather it ends by fostering criminal trafficking. The only way to work toward a solution is solidarity — solidarity with the migrant, solidarity with the stranger.
Christians’ commitment in this field is as urgent today as it was in the past. To look only at the last century, we recall the stupendous figure of Saint Frances Cabrini, who dedicated her life, together with her companions, to immigrants in the United States of America. Today we are also in need of these testimonies so that mercy can reach the many who are in need. It is a commitment that involves everyone; no one is excluded. Dioceses, parishes, Institutes of Consecrated Life, Associations and Movements, as well as individual Christians, we are all called to receive brothers and sisters fleeing from war, from hunger, from violence and from inhuman conditions of life. All of us together are a great source of support for all those who have lost their homeland, family, work and dignity. A little story happened a few days ago in the city. A refugee was looking for a street and a lady approached him and said to him: But are you looking for something? That refugee was without shoes. And he said: I would like to go to Saint Peter’s to enter the Holy Door. And the lady thought: But he doesn’t have shoes, how can he walk? And she called a taxi. But that migrant, that refugee stank and the driver of the taxi almost did not want him to get in, but in the end he let him get into the taxi. And, in the course of the trip, the lady, who was beside him, asked him about his story as a refugee and migrant: it took ten minutes to arrive here. The man told his story of grief, of war, of hunger and why he fled from his country to migrate here. When they arrived, the lady opened her purse to pay the taxi driver and the driver, who at first did not want the migrant to get in because he stank, said to the lady: No, madam, I should pay you because you made me hear a story that has changed my heart. This lady knew the pain of a migrant because she had Armenian blood and knew the suffering of her people. When we do something of this sort; initially we refuse because it gives us some trouble, but … he stinks … But in the end, the story perfumes our soul and makes us change. Think of this story and let us think what we can do for the refugees.
And the other thing is to clothe the naked: what does it mean if not to restore dignity to one who has lost it? Certainly, to give garments to those deprived of them, but we think also of the women victims of trafficking thrown out on the streets, or of the others, too many ways of using the human body as merchandise, even of minors. And so, to not have work, a home, a just salary is also a form of nakedness, or to be discriminated against because of race or because of faith – they are all forms of nakedness, situations in which as Christians we are called to be attentive, vigilant and ready to act.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us not fall into the trap of withdrawing into ourselves, indifferent to the needs of brothers and concerned only about our own interests. It is precisely in the measure to which we open our hearts to others that life becomes fertile, societies re-acquire peace and individuals recover their full dignity. And do not forget that lady, do not forget that migrant who stank and do not forget the driver whose soul was changed by the migrant.
The above 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 greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Wales, Ireland, Finland, Norway, Israel, Australia, Indonesia, China, Japan, Canada and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Mercy will be a moment of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.
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