Sunday, March 26, 2017

Lent: Angelus for the Fourth Sunday

At 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.


Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

At the centre of the gospel for this fourth Sunday of Lent we find Jesus and a man who was blind from birth (cf Jn 9:1-41).  Christ restores his sight and works this miracle with a kind of symbolic rite: first he mixes some of the dirt with saliva and then he rubs it over the eyes of the blind man; he then orders him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam.  The man goes, washes himself and regains his sight.  He had been blind from birth.  With this miracle, Jesus shows himself and he manifests himself in us as light for the world; and the blind man represents every one of us, who have been created to know god, but because of sin, we are like blind people, we need a new light; we all need a new light: the light of faith, which Jesus gives us.  In fact, when the blind man in the gospel regained his sight, he opened himself to the mystery of Christ.  Jesus asked him: Do you believe in the Son of man? (Jn 1:35).  And who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?, the man responded (Jn 1:36).  You have seen him: he is the one who is speaking with you (Jn 1:37).  Lord, I believe, and he prostrated himself before Jesus.

This episode leads us to reflect on our faith, our faith in Christ, the Son of God, and at the same time it also refers to Baptism, which is the first Sacrament of faith: the Sacrament by which we come to the light, through which we are reborn in water and the Holy Spirit; this is the same as it was for the man born blind, who had his eyes opened after he had washed in the waters of the pool of Siloam.  The blind man who is healed is us when we do not realize that Jesus is the light, the light of the world, when we look elsewhere, when we prefer to rely on smaller lights, when we fumble in the dark.  The fact that this blind man did not have a name helps us to see ourselves, with our faces and our names as part of the story.  We too have been illuminated by Christ at Baptism, and from that point onward, we are called to live as children of the light.  Living as children of the light means that we must radically change our mentality, develop an ability to look at mankind and at things with a different measure of values, which comes from God.  In fact, the sacrament of Baptism urges us to choose to live as children of the light  and to journey in light.  If I were to ask you: Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?  Do you believe that you can change your heart?  Do you believe that you can live according to the way he sees reality and not as we see it?  Do you believe that He is light, that he gives us the true light?  How would you respond?  Everyone respond in your heart.

What does it mean to have the true light, to walk in the light?  First of all it means abandoning false lights: the cold light that provokes prejudices against others, because prejudice distorts reality and leads to hate against those who make judgements without mercy and condemn without possibility of appeal.  This is an everyday occurrence!  When we gossip with others, we are not journeying toward the light, we are journeying in shadows.  Another false light, which is so seductive and ambiguous, is self-interest: the temptation to evaluate people based on the possibility of our own personal gain, our own pleasure, our prestige; there is no truth in such relationships and situations.  If we follow this path of seeking only personal interests, we are walking in shadows.

May the Blessed Virgin, who first welcomed Jesus, the light of the world, obtain for us the grace to welcome the light of faith anew this Lent, and to rediscover the inestimable gift of Baptism, which we have all received.  May this new illumination transform our attitudes and actions so that we too can be bearers of rays of Christ's light beginning with our own poverty and sense of smallness.



After having recited the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:

Dear brothers and sisters,

Yesterday in Almería (Spain), José Alvarez-Benavides y de la Torre and 114 companions who were martyred were all declared Blessed.  These priests, religious and lay people were heroic witnesses of Christ and of his gospel of peace and fraternal reconciliation.  May their example and their intercession support the commitment of the Church to building the civilization of love.

I greet all of you, people of Rome, those who have come from various parts of Italy and from other countries, especially the pilgrims from Córdoba (Spain), the young people from Saint-Jean de Passy College in Paris, the faithful from Loreto, the faithful from Quartu Sant'Elena, Rende, Maiori, Poggiomarino and the teenages from the Romana-Vittoria area of Milan.  In regard to Milan, I want to thank the Cardinal Archbishop and all the Milanese people for the warm welcome I received yesterday.  Truly, I felt at home, in every aspect, with believers and non-believers.  Thank you very much, dear people of Milan, and I will tell you something: I found that what people say is true: In Milan, they receive you with heart in hand.

I wish you all a good Sunday.  Please, don't forget to pray for me.  Enjoy your lunch and good bye.

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