This morning's General Audience began at 9:40am in the Paul VI Hall, 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 continued the new cycle of catecheses on the theme of Christian hope, adding his meditation on the theme: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who proclaim the message of peace ... (cf Is 52:7, 9-10).
Following the customary summaries of his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed greetings to each group of the 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 are getting close to Christmas, and once more the prophet Isaiah helps us to open our hearts to the hope of welcoming the Good News of the coming of salvation.
Chapter 52 of Isaiah's book begins with the invitation addressed to Jerusalem to wake up, shake off the dust and the chains and dress in the most beautiful clothes, for the Lord has come to liberate his people (Is 52:1-3). He adds: My people will know my name, and understand on which day I will say: Here I am (Is 52:6).
In response to this here I am that the Lord speaks, a word that sums up his will to save and to be close to us, the song of Jerusalem's joy rings out in answer to the prophet's invitation. This is a very important historic moment. It is the end of the Babylonian exile, the possibility for Israel to rediscover God and, in faith, to rediscover herself. The Lord is near, and the little flock, the little group of people who remain after the exile, that even in exile remained faithful, have endured the crisis and continued to believe and to hope even in the midst of darkness, this little flock will see the marvels of God.
At this point, the prophet inserts a song of exultation:
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who proclaim the message of peace
the message of good news that salvation is near,
who say to Zion: Your God reigns.
Break out together in joyful song,
ruins of Jerusalem
for the Lord has comforted his people,
has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has revealed his holy arm
before all the nations;
all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God (Is 52:7, 9-10).
These words of Isaiah, which we want to focus on a little, refer to the miracle of peace, and they do this in a special way, focusing not on the messenger but on his feet as they run quickly: How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger ...
It seems as though the bridegroom mentioned in the Song of Songs is running from his beloved: Here he comes, leaping the mountains, bounding the hills (Song of Songs, 2:8). This is how the messenger of peace runs, bringing the joyful news of liberation, of salvation and proclaiming that God reigns.
God has not abandoned his people and has not left them defeated by evil, for He is faithful and his grace is greater than our sin. We must learn this, for we are stubborn and we resist learning it. But I will ask: which is greater, God or sin? God! And who will always win in the end? God or sin? God. He is able to triumph even over the greatest sin, the most shameful sin, the most terrible sin, the worst sin. What is the weapon that God uses to overcome sin? Love! This is what it means to say that God reigns; these are the words of faith in a god whose power comes from leaning on humanity, lowering himself to offer mercy and to free mankind from everything that disfigures within him the beautiful image of God, for when we are in the midst of sin, the image of God is disfigured. And the fulfilment of so much love is that the Kingdom is restored by Jesus, the reign of forgiveness and of peach that we celebrate at Christmas and which is definitively achieved at Easter. The most beautiful joy of Christmas is the interior joy of peace: the Lord has cancelled my sins, the Lord has forgiven me, the Lord has shown me mercy, he has come to save me. This is the joy of Christmas!
Brothers and sisters, these are the reasons for our hope. When all seems to be finished, when, in the face of so many negative realities, faith grows tired and temptations try to tell us that nothing more makes sense, the good news arrives, brought to us by running feet: God is coming to do something new, to establish a kingdom of peace; God has revealed his arm and comes to bring us freedom and consolation. Evil will not triumph forever, there is an end to the suffering. Desperation has been overcome for God is with us.
We too are invited to wake up, like Jerusalem, according to the invitation that the prophet offers; we are called to become men and women of hope, working together for the coming of this kingdom made of light and destined for all, men and women of hope. How sad it is when we find a Christian who has lost all hope! I have no hope, everything is finished for me: these are the words of a Christian who is incapable of looking to the horizons of hope, who finds only a wall standing before his heart. But God destroys these walls with his forgiveness! This is the reason why we must pray, asking the Lord every day to give us hope and to give hope to everyone, the hope that is born when we see God in the manger scene in Bethlehem. The message of Good News that is entrusted to us is urgent, we must also run like the messenger over the mountains, for the world cannot wait, humanity is hungry and thirsty for justice, truth and peace.
Seeing the little child in Bethlehem, the children of the world will know that the promise has been fulfilled, the message is accomplished. In a newborn child, who is in need of everything, wrapped in swaddling clothing and placed in a manger, is found the power of God who saves. Christmas is the day to open our hearts: we must open our hearts to make ourselves small, to enter into the experience of the child, so that we can open ourselves to the entirety of his wonder. This is the wonder of Christmas, for which we are preparing ourselves, with hope, in this time of Advent. This is the surprise of a child who is God, of a God who is poor, of a God who is weak, of a God who abandons his greatness in order to come close to us.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and he 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 Australia and the United States of America. I pray that each of you, and your families, may experience a blessed Advent, in preparation for the coming of the newborn Saviour at Christmas. God bless you!
In his speech, the Pope continued the new cycle of catecheses on the theme of Christian hope, adding his meditation on the theme: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who proclaim the message of peace ... (cf Is 52:7, 9-10).
Following the customary summaries of his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed greetings to each group of the 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 are getting close to Christmas, and once more the prophet Isaiah helps us to open our hearts to the hope of welcoming the Good News of the coming of salvation.
Chapter 52 of Isaiah's book begins with the invitation addressed to Jerusalem to wake up, shake off the dust and the chains and dress in the most beautiful clothes, for the Lord has come to liberate his people (Is 52:1-3). He adds: My people will know my name, and understand on which day I will say: Here I am (Is 52:6).
In response to this here I am that the Lord speaks, a word that sums up his will to save and to be close to us, the song of Jerusalem's joy rings out in answer to the prophet's invitation. This is a very important historic moment. It is the end of the Babylonian exile, the possibility for Israel to rediscover God and, in faith, to rediscover herself. The Lord is near, and the little flock, the little group of people who remain after the exile, that even in exile remained faithful, have endured the crisis and continued to believe and to hope even in the midst of darkness, this little flock will see the marvels of God.
At this point, the prophet inserts a song of exultation:
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who proclaim the message of peace
the message of good news that salvation is near,
who say to Zion: Your God reigns.
Break out together in joyful song,
ruins of Jerusalem
for the Lord has comforted his people,
has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has revealed his holy arm
before all the nations;
all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God (Is 52:7, 9-10).
These words of Isaiah, which we want to focus on a little, refer to the miracle of peace, and they do this in a special way, focusing not on the messenger but on his feet as they run quickly: How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger ...
It seems as though the bridegroom mentioned in the Song of Songs is running from his beloved: Here he comes, leaping the mountains, bounding the hills (Song of Songs, 2:8). This is how the messenger of peace runs, bringing the joyful news of liberation, of salvation and proclaiming that God reigns.
God has not abandoned his people and has not left them defeated by evil, for He is faithful and his grace is greater than our sin. We must learn this, for we are stubborn and we resist learning it. But I will ask: which is greater, God or sin? God! And who will always win in the end? God or sin? God. He is able to triumph even over the greatest sin, the most shameful sin, the most terrible sin, the worst sin. What is the weapon that God uses to overcome sin? Love! This is what it means to say that God reigns; these are the words of faith in a god whose power comes from leaning on humanity, lowering himself to offer mercy and to free mankind from everything that disfigures within him the beautiful image of God, for when we are in the midst of sin, the image of God is disfigured. And the fulfilment of so much love is that the Kingdom is restored by Jesus, the reign of forgiveness and of peach that we celebrate at Christmas and which is definitively achieved at Easter. The most beautiful joy of Christmas is the interior joy of peace: the Lord has cancelled my sins, the Lord has forgiven me, the Lord has shown me mercy, he has come to save me. This is the joy of Christmas!
Brothers and sisters, these are the reasons for our hope. When all seems to be finished, when, in the face of so many negative realities, faith grows tired and temptations try to tell us that nothing more makes sense, the good news arrives, brought to us by running feet: God is coming to do something new, to establish a kingdom of peace; God has revealed his arm and comes to bring us freedom and consolation. Evil will not triumph forever, there is an end to the suffering. Desperation has been overcome for God is with us.
We too are invited to wake up, like Jerusalem, according to the invitation that the prophet offers; we are called to become men and women of hope, working together for the coming of this kingdom made of light and destined for all, men and women of hope. How sad it is when we find a Christian who has lost all hope! I have no hope, everything is finished for me: these are the words of a Christian who is incapable of looking to the horizons of hope, who finds only a wall standing before his heart. But God destroys these walls with his forgiveness! This is the reason why we must pray, asking the Lord every day to give us hope and to give hope to everyone, the hope that is born when we see God in the manger scene in Bethlehem. The message of Good News that is entrusted to us is urgent, we must also run like the messenger over the mountains, for the world cannot wait, humanity is hungry and thirsty for justice, truth and peace.
Seeing the little child in Bethlehem, the children of the world will know that the promise has been fulfilled, the message is accomplished. In a newborn child, who is in need of everything, wrapped in swaddling clothing and placed in a manger, is found the power of God who saves. Christmas is the day to open our hearts: we must open our hearts to make ourselves small, to enter into the experience of the child, so that we can open ourselves to the entirety of his wonder. This is the wonder of Christmas, for which we are preparing ourselves, with hope, in this time of Advent. This is the surprise of a child who is God, of a God who is poor, of a God who is weak, of a God who abandons his greatness in order to come close to us.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and he 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 Australia and the United States of America. I pray that each of you, and your families, may experience a blessed Advent, in preparation for the coming of the newborn Saviour at Christmas. God bless you!
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