At noon today (Rome time), 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.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
This Sunday's gospel (Mt 22:15-21) presents us with a new face to face meeting between Jesus and his opponents. The theme that was raised was that of paying tribute to Caesar: a thorny question about whether or not taxes should be paid to the Roman emperor, to whose rule Palestine was subjected during the time of Jesus. There were varying opinions. Thus the question asked by the Pharisees: Is it lawful or not to pay a tax to Caesar? (Mt 22:17) was a trap for the Teacher. In fact, depending on how he responded, he would be accused of being either for or against Rome.
But in this case too, Jesus responded calmly and took advantage of the mischievous question to provide an important lesson, raising himself above the controversy and the opposing views. He told the Pharisees: Show me the coin used to pay the tax. They gave him a denarius, and Jesus, looking at the coin, asked: Who's image is this, and who's inscription? The Pharisees were compelled to respond: It's an image of Caesar. So Jesus concluded: Render therefore unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar and unto God that which belongs to God (Mt 22:19-21). On one hand, by alluding to returning what belongs to the emperor, Jesus was declaring that paying the tax was not an act of idolatry, but rather an act of duty to worldly authority; on the other hand - and this is where Jesus shows his stroke of genius - recalling God's primacy, he asks us to make him the Lord of our life and of all of history.
The reference to the image of Caesar, engraved in the coin, he says that it is right to feel fully entitled - with all rights and duties - to be citizens of the State; but symbolically, he makes us think of the other image that is imprinted in the heart of every person: the image of God. He is the Lord of all, and we, who have been created in his image, belong first and foremost to Him. From the question that was asked by the Pharisees, Jesus derived a more radical and vital question for every one of us, a question that we can ask ourselves: to whom do I belong? To my family, to my city, to my friends, to my school, to my work, to my politics, to my State? Yes, certainly. But first and foremost - Jesus reminds us - you belong to God. This is our fundamental membership. He is the one who has given us everything that we are and everything that we have. Therefore, our lives - day after day - can and should be lived with a new consciousness of our fundamental belonging and a renewed heart-felt consciousness of our Father, who has created each one of us, unrepeatable, but always in the image of his beloved Son, Jesus. This is a profound mystery.
Christians are called to concretely commit ourselves to human and social realities without opposing God or Caesar; opposing God and Caesar would be a fundamentalist attitude. Christians are called to concretely commit ourselves to earthly realities, but to illuminiate them with the light that comes from God. Trusting in God and hoping in Him are not a matter of hiding from reality, but rather of giving unto God that which belongs to him. For this reason, believers can look toward the future, toward God's reality, in order to live earthly life to the full, and to respond courageously to the challenges we must face.
The Virgin Mary helps us to always live according to the image of God that we carry within us, inside, at the same time giving our contribution to the building up of the earthly city.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday, in Barcelona, Matteo Casals, Teofilo Casajús, Fernando Saperas and 106 of their companions who were all martyred, members of the Religious Congregation of Clarists, killed for hatred of the faith during the Spanish civil war, were beatified. Their heroic example and their intercession supports Christians who even in our times - and there are many of them - in various parts of the world, endure discrimination and persecution.
Today, we celebrate World Mission Sunday, focused on the theme: The mission at the heart of the Church. I urge all people to live the joy of the mission of bearing witness to the gospel in the places where each of us live and work. At the same time, we are called to affectionately support, to concretely help and to pray for missionaries who have set out to proclaim Christ to those who have not yet known him. I also recall the fact that I intend to promote an Extraordinary Missionary Month in October 2019, in order to strengthen the ardour of the Church's evangelical activities ad gentes (to the people of the world). On the day of the liturgical memorial of Saint John Paul II, the missionary Pope, let us entrust to his intercession the mission of the Church throughout the world.
I ask you to join me in praying for peace throughout the world. In these days, I am following with particular attention the situation in Kenya, which I visited in 2015, and for which I am praying in order that that entire country may be able to face the current difficulties in a climate of constructive dialogue, always having at heart a concern for the common good.
And now, I greet all of you, pilgrims from Italy and from other countries. In particular, the faithful from Luxembourg and those from Ibiza, the Family of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Movement from Brazil, the Sisters of the Most Holy Suffering Mother. I greet and I willingly bless the Peruvian community here in Rome, who are gathered here wit the holy image of the Lord of Miracles (Señor de los Milagros).
I greet the groups of faithful from many Italian parishes, and I encourage you to continue joyfully along your journey in life.
And I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
This Sunday's gospel (Mt 22:15-21) presents us with a new face to face meeting between Jesus and his opponents. The theme that was raised was that of paying tribute to Caesar: a thorny question about whether or not taxes should be paid to the Roman emperor, to whose rule Palestine was subjected during the time of Jesus. There were varying opinions. Thus the question asked by the Pharisees: Is it lawful or not to pay a tax to Caesar? (Mt 22:17) was a trap for the Teacher. In fact, depending on how he responded, he would be accused of being either for or against Rome.
But in this case too, Jesus responded calmly and took advantage of the mischievous question to provide an important lesson, raising himself above the controversy and the opposing views. He told the Pharisees: Show me the coin used to pay the tax. They gave him a denarius, and Jesus, looking at the coin, asked: Who's image is this, and who's inscription? The Pharisees were compelled to respond: It's an image of Caesar. So Jesus concluded: Render therefore unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar and unto God that which belongs to God (Mt 22:19-21). On one hand, by alluding to returning what belongs to the emperor, Jesus was declaring that paying the tax was not an act of idolatry, but rather an act of duty to worldly authority; on the other hand - and this is where Jesus shows his stroke of genius - recalling God's primacy, he asks us to make him the Lord of our life and of all of history.
The reference to the image of Caesar, engraved in the coin, he says that it is right to feel fully entitled - with all rights and duties - to be citizens of the State; but symbolically, he makes us think of the other image that is imprinted in the heart of every person: the image of God. He is the Lord of all, and we, who have been created in his image, belong first and foremost to Him. From the question that was asked by the Pharisees, Jesus derived a more radical and vital question for every one of us, a question that we can ask ourselves: to whom do I belong? To my family, to my city, to my friends, to my school, to my work, to my politics, to my State? Yes, certainly. But first and foremost - Jesus reminds us - you belong to God. This is our fundamental membership. He is the one who has given us everything that we are and everything that we have. Therefore, our lives - day after day - can and should be lived with a new consciousness of our fundamental belonging and a renewed heart-felt consciousness of our Father, who has created each one of us, unrepeatable, but always in the image of his beloved Son, Jesus. This is a profound mystery.
Christians are called to concretely commit ourselves to human and social realities without opposing God or Caesar; opposing God and Caesar would be a fundamentalist attitude. Christians are called to concretely commit ourselves to earthly realities, but to illuminiate them with the light that comes from God. Trusting in God and hoping in Him are not a matter of hiding from reality, but rather of giving unto God that which belongs to him. For this reason, believers can look toward the future, toward God's reality, in order to live earthly life to the full, and to respond courageously to the challenges we must face.
The Virgin Mary helps us to always live according to the image of God that we carry within us, inside, at the same time giving our contribution to the building up of the earthly city.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday, in Barcelona, Matteo Casals, Teofilo Casajús, Fernando Saperas and 106 of their companions who were all martyred, members of the Religious Congregation of Clarists, killed for hatred of the faith during the Spanish civil war, were beatified. Their heroic example and their intercession supports Christians who even in our times - and there are many of them - in various parts of the world, endure discrimination and persecution.
Today, we celebrate World Mission Sunday, focused on the theme: The mission at the heart of the Church. I urge all people to live the joy of the mission of bearing witness to the gospel in the places where each of us live and work. At the same time, we are called to affectionately support, to concretely help and to pray for missionaries who have set out to proclaim Christ to those who have not yet known him. I also recall the fact that I intend to promote an Extraordinary Missionary Month in October 2019, in order to strengthen the ardour of the Church's evangelical activities ad gentes (to the people of the world). On the day of the liturgical memorial of Saint John Paul II, the missionary Pope, let us entrust to his intercession the mission of the Church throughout the world.
I ask you to join me in praying for peace throughout the world. In these days, I am following with particular attention the situation in Kenya, which I visited in 2015, and for which I am praying in order that that entire country may be able to face the current difficulties in a climate of constructive dialogue, always having at heart a concern for the common good.
And now, I greet all of you, pilgrims from Italy and from other countries. In particular, the faithful from Luxembourg and those from Ibiza, the Family of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Movement from Brazil, the Sisters of the Most Holy Suffering Mother. I greet and I willingly bless the Peruvian community here in Rome, who are gathered here wit the holy image of the Lord of Miracles (Señor de los Milagros).
I greet the groups of faithful from many Italian parishes, and I encourage you to continue joyfully along your journey in life.
And 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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