At noon today, the first Sunday of Advent, 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!
Today the Church begins a new liturgical year, that is to say a new journey of faith for the people of God, and as always, we begin with Advent. Today's passage from the gospel (cf Mt 24:37-44) introduces us to one of the key themes of Advent: the Lord's visit to humanity. The first visit - we know all of them - took place with the Incarnation, the birth of Jesus in the stable in Bethlehem; the second takes place in the present: the Lord continually visits us, every day, walking at our side and sharing with us his consoling presence; finally, there will be a third visitation, the final visit, that we profess every time we recite the Creed: He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Today, the Lord speaks of this final visit, the one that will take place at the end of time, and he tells us where our journey will lead us.
The Word of God brings out the contrast between the normal unfolding of events, the daily routine, and the unforeseen coming of the Lord. Jesus says: As it was in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, taking wives and husbands, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away (Mt 24:38-39): this is what Jesus says. It is always striking to think about the hours that precede great disasters: everything is tranquil, people are doing normal things without realizing that their lives are about to be turned upside down.
The gospel certainly doesn't intent to scare us, but to open our horizons to another larger dimension which on one hand relates to everyday things but on the other hand makes them more precious, decisive. Our relationship with the God-who-comes-to-visit makes us see every gesture, everything in a different light, gives it new meaning, new symbolic value.
From this perspective, this visit is also a call to sobriety, to not be preoccupied with the things of this world, with material realities, but rather to use them wisely. If, on the contrary, we were to allow ourselves to be conditioned and overwhelmed by them, we would be unable to perceive that there is something very important: our final encounter with the Lord: and this is what is important. That one, that encounter. Everyday things should always be seen in this light; they should be directed toward this horizon. This encounter with the Lord that is coming for each of us. At that moment, as the gospel says: two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other will be left (Mt 24:40). This is an invitation for us to be vigilant, because not knowing when he will come, we have to always be ready to go.
During this time of Advent, we are called to expand the horizons of our hearts so that we can marvel at that unfolds every day, presenting us with all things new. To do this, we must learn not to depend on our own securities, our own plans, for the Lord will come at an hour that we cannot know or imagine. He comes to introduce us to a dimension that is more beautiful, much more vast.
May Our Lady, the Virgin of Advent, help us not to consider ourselves as masters of our own lives, and not to resist when the Lord comes to change our lives; rather, may she help us to be ready to allow ourselves to be visited by Him, as an expected guest who we welcome even though he may upset our plans.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I want to assure the people of Central America, especially Costa Rica and Nicaragua, of my prayers; they have been struck by a hurricane and also by an earthquake in recent days. And I also pray for the people of northern Italy who are suffering due of floods.
I greet all of you pilgrims, who have come from Italy and from various other countries: families, parish groups and associations. In particular, I greet the faithful who have come from Lebanon, Egypt, Slovakia, and the choir from Limburg (Germany). I warmly greet the Ecuadorian community that is present here, the families who are part of the Tra Noi (Between Us) Movement, the groups from Altamura, Tieti, San Casciano in Val di Pesa; UNITALSI from Capaccio and the alumni from Bagheria.
I wish you all a good Sunday and a good Advent journey toward your encounter with the Lord. May this be a time of hope! Go out to meet the Lord who is coming to meet us. True hope, founded on God's faithfulness and our responsibility. 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!
Today the Church begins a new liturgical year, that is to say a new journey of faith for the people of God, and as always, we begin with Advent. Today's passage from the gospel (cf Mt 24:37-44) introduces us to one of the key themes of Advent: the Lord's visit to humanity. The first visit - we know all of them - took place with the Incarnation, the birth of Jesus in the stable in Bethlehem; the second takes place in the present: the Lord continually visits us, every day, walking at our side and sharing with us his consoling presence; finally, there will be a third visitation, the final visit, that we profess every time we recite the Creed: He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Today, the Lord speaks of this final visit, the one that will take place at the end of time, and he tells us where our journey will lead us.
The Word of God brings out the contrast between the normal unfolding of events, the daily routine, and the unforeseen coming of the Lord. Jesus says: As it was in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, taking wives and husbands, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away (Mt 24:38-39): this is what Jesus says. It is always striking to think about the hours that precede great disasters: everything is tranquil, people are doing normal things without realizing that their lives are about to be turned upside down.
The gospel certainly doesn't intent to scare us, but to open our horizons to another larger dimension which on one hand relates to everyday things but on the other hand makes them more precious, decisive. Our relationship with the God-who-comes-to-visit makes us see every gesture, everything in a different light, gives it new meaning, new symbolic value.
From this perspective, this visit is also a call to sobriety, to not be preoccupied with the things of this world, with material realities, but rather to use them wisely. If, on the contrary, we were to allow ourselves to be conditioned and overwhelmed by them, we would be unable to perceive that there is something very important: our final encounter with the Lord: and this is what is important. That one, that encounter. Everyday things should always be seen in this light; they should be directed toward this horizon. This encounter with the Lord that is coming for each of us. At that moment, as the gospel says: two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other will be left (Mt 24:40). This is an invitation for us to be vigilant, because not knowing when he will come, we have to always be ready to go.
During this time of Advent, we are called to expand the horizons of our hearts so that we can marvel at that unfolds every day, presenting us with all things new. To do this, we must learn not to depend on our own securities, our own plans, for the Lord will come at an hour that we cannot know or imagine. He comes to introduce us to a dimension that is more beautiful, much more vast.
May Our Lady, the Virgin of Advent, help us not to consider ourselves as masters of our own lives, and not to resist when the Lord comes to change our lives; rather, may she help us to be ready to allow ourselves to be visited by Him, as an expected guest who we welcome even though he may upset our plans.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I want to assure the people of Central America, especially Costa Rica and Nicaragua, of my prayers; they have been struck by a hurricane and also by an earthquake in recent days. And I also pray for the people of northern Italy who are suffering due of floods.
I greet all of you pilgrims, who have come from Italy and from various other countries: families, parish groups and associations. In particular, I greet the faithful who have come from Lebanon, Egypt, Slovakia, and the choir from Limburg (Germany). I warmly greet the Ecuadorian community that is present here, the families who are part of the Tra Noi (Between Us) Movement, the groups from Altamura, Tieti, San Casciano in Val di Pesa; UNITALSI from Capaccio and the alumni from Bagheria.
I wish you all a good Sunday and a good Advent journey toward your encounter with the Lord. May this be a time of hope! Go out to meet the Lord who is coming to meet us. True hope, founded on God's faithfulness and our responsibility. And please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
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